


Underlying Secret

by AlliraWolf



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Abduction, F/M, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Molestation, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-12 20:45:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3354725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlliraWolf/pseuds/AlliraWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Derek, please, put the gun down. I'm sorry there was nobody there for you, but this is not the way to handle this. Please, baby, put the gun down.", coaxed Stiles. When a part of Derek's past comes back, will the pack be able to pull him through? Will Derek be able to survive the struggle of reliving this hidden part of his past? Can the pack handle it when they learn the truth? Or will this pull Derek down to the point of no return?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the characters of Teen Wolf. I only own this idea and the characters I have created for the purpose of this story. Reviews are appreciated. I love to know what you think.

“Such a pretty little boy, yes you are. Bright green eyes and a beautiful smile. How'd you wander away from your Mommy and Daddy? Do they know you're gone? Come with me and I'll help you find them.”, coaxed the man as he knelt down in front of the little boy, who was around the age of 8. 

“Can you find my Mommy? I'm not supposed to leave her, but I found a little stuffed puppy on the ground and I wanted to show her so she could give it back. But I couldn't find her.”, explained Derek with tears in his eyes as he looked up at the man. 

“Come with me. If you're good I'll buy you a little stuffed puppy, one just as beautiful as you.”, cooed the man as he lifted the boy up into his arms, cradling him close to his chest to keep him from squirming away, carrying him down the sidewalk, weaving in and out of the crowd. 

“My Mommy went the other way.”, explained Derek as he tried to turn around in the man's grasp, fear filling his veins when his grip tightened. 

“Don't move. You make one sound and I'll kill you, before having The Coven kill your Mommy and Daddy and all your brothers and sisters.”, hissed out the man as he placed Derek into the back of his car, cuffing him to the seat. Once the man turned his back, Derek tried to wiggle his tiny hand out of the cuff, only managing to make it dig deeper into his wrist. 

“This should calm you down for a little while.”, explained the man as he shoved a needle into the boy's thigh, a powerful sedative burning through his veins. The last thing Derek remembered was the sound of the car's engine roaring to life before everything faded into black. 

 

Derek sat straight up in bed when he felt two sets of hands on his shoulders, belonging to the two who had managed to shake him awake. 

“Easy, Derek. Easy. It was just a dream, you're safe, you're home.”, cooed Stiles as he stroked the wolf's sweaty hair, hearing him take in many fast and labored breaths, his wide eyes darting around the room. More like a memory. 

“You're okay, Derek. You're safe and so is the rest of the pack. We heard you screaming, it took an hour to get you to wake up, we were close to calling Deaton. Do you want to talk about it? I know that helps when I have a nightmare.”, asked Isaac as he placed a hand on the older wolf's back, feeling him shaking under his touch. 

“Talking about it is only going to make it real again. I just want to be able to forget.”, replied Derek as he hugged his knees to his chest, allowing himself to open up to two members of the pack that he trusted the most. 

“Holding it in, Der, isn't going to help. Isaac, can you go grab a glass of water, while I call my Dad? I need to let him know that I'm staying here tonight.”, asked Stiles as he dug in his pockets for his phone, being stopped when Derek's hand came down on his. 

“You have school tomorrow, Stiles. So do you, Isaac. You need to go back to bed, and Stiles, you need to go home. Your Dad is more than likely worried sick and is loading his gun with wolfs bain bullets.”, explained the wolf as he looked from the Beta to the teen. 

“I don't want to leave you like this, baby. It doesn't feel right.”, replied the teen as he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. 

“Stiles, I'll stay. You have a Chem test tomorrow and you can't afford an F, I'll keep an eye on him.”, promised Isaac as he looked from the blue eyed Beta to the teen. 

“I'm not a baby, you two. I can handle myself. It's not the first nightmare I've had.”, explained Derek as his eyes flashed blue, looking from teen to teen. 

“Shut up, Der.”, ordered both Isaac and Stiles as they turned to face him, both of them pushing him back down into the bed and into a lying position. The wolf rolled his eyes at the pair before he rolled over onto his side, facing them both as he took in their scents and presence as comfort. 

“You, my wolfie friend, had better keep your word. Oh, and I'm copying off of your Chem test tomorrow. Try to go back to sleep, Der. I'll text Isaac once I get back home.”, explained Stiles as he placed a kiss to the green eyed wolf's temple, feeling him press a gentle one to his cheek. 

“Go, Stiles. Before your Dad decides to show up and put those bullets to use.”, ordered Derek as he gave the teen a gentle shove. 

“I'm going. I'm going. See you tomorrow, Isaac. I love you Der.”, said Stiles as he walked out of the room, with Isaac trailing behind him a few minutes later. 

“I love you, too, Stiles.”, whispered the wolf as he layed his head down on the pillow again. Isaac bent down and brushed his cheek against the older Beta's, smiling when he heard a soft purring noise leaving the older teen's chest. He smiled down at Derek before he walked out of the room, he didn't walk downstairs until he felt the older wolf start to relax. 

“Isaac, please, keep an eye on him. This was the first nightmare he's had in a long time, and it's the first time he's ever screamed. If he doesn't open up and let this out, he's going to snap. He needs to let it out, whatever it is.”, explained Stiles as he stood at the front door of the Hale house, pulling his jacket back on over his body. 

“I'll keep an eye on him, I promise. When I put my hand on his back, I felt fear, and confusion, and pain. Physical pain. Whatever happened in that nightmare, he's feeling all over again, he's remembering something. He said, 'talking about it makes it real again'. It's not just a nightmare, he must be having a flashback or something.”, explained Isaac as he ran a hand through his hair, worry coming off of him in waves. 

“We can't push him to talk about it. He closes in on himself when he's pushed and it makes it harder to get anything out of him. I'm just. Not getting a good feeling about this.”, explained Stiles as he anxiously looked towards the stairs as if he wanted to bolt right back up there. 

“Give it a few days to let him calm down. Maybe he'll talk about it then.”, said Isaac as he placed a hand on the smaller teen's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

“I hope so, Isaac. I really do. I'll see you tomorrow.”, said Stiles as he looked from the stairs to the wolf before he walked outside and got into his Jeep. Isaac waited until the teen was in his Jeep and down the road before he walked back upstairs, walking to the door of the Beta's room, seeing Derek once again in a sitting position with his head in his hands, it looked as if he were whispering something to himself. The younger wolf tuned in to his werewolf hearing in order to fully hear what the older wolf was saying. 

“I was good. I did what he said. I didn't fight back. I didn't scream. I was a good boy.”, whispered Derek to himself as he tried to get his heart to slow down, trying to force the memory out of his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Derek looked in the mirror of the bathroom with a towel around his waist after the third shower in a row. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the feeling of the man's hands off his body, he couldn't erase the scent of the man from his memory. The wolf shuddered as bits of flashbacks returned, feelings hands ghosting over his thighs and along his sides. With a low growl brewing in his chest, his fist shot forward and connected with the mirror before he realized what he was doing. The glass cracked and shattered into shards, some falling into the sink as others scattered the floor. Blood flowed down his fingers as pain soared up his hand and through his arm. Derek gasped in a few short breath as he looked from the mirror to his hand with wide eyes, he picked the small glass shards from his knuckles as they slowly began to heal. The pain started to disappear until it was almost unnoticeable, but a part of him wanted to feel that pain. A part of him thought he deserved to feel that pain, that he needed that form of release from what was racing through his mind. He needed an escape, and he might have just found it. The wolf bent down and picked up a sharp shard of the glass, wrapping it in a cloth before he left the bathroom and walked towards his own bedroom. 

“What the hell happened to the mirror?”, asked Peter from behind the closed bathroom door, having went in as soon as his nephew had finished. 

“A bit of an accident.”, replied Derek as he made a quick move of hiding the cloth covered glass inside the pillowcase on his bed, knowing that it would be there if he ever needed it. 

“Got tired of looking at your own reflection?”, joked Peter with a smile as he walked out of the bathroom, carrying the broken shards with him. 

“If only you knew.”, whispered the Beta to himself as he slipped on a pair of boxers and let the towel slip from his hips, pooling around his feet on the floor. He put on a pair of nicely fitting Levi jeans and a black shirt, running his fingers through his still dripping hair, before he decided to give it a firm shake, watching as water droplets scattered across the room. Such a pretty pretty boy. All grown up now, and even more valuable. Such a good little boy. A growl tore from his chest, so deep it made his chest vibrate, as he heard the man's voice ringing in his head. His wolf was rising at the stir of his emotions, anger pulsing through his body, just edging the animal on. 

“Focus on Stiles. Focus on Stiles. Focus on Stiles.”, said Derek as he repeated that to himself, trying to force the wolf back down, feeling the animal raking his claws down the inside of his chest and claws, desperate to be set free for a little while. 

“Derek? Are you okay? I can hear--.”, started Peter as he walked up the stairs to the bedroom, never having the chance to finish what he was saying before his nephew brushed past him and made a bolt down the stairs. He jumped the last few before running straight out the backdoor, leaving it swinging open in his wake. 

“Nevermind.”, said the former Alpha as he walked back downstairs, knowing his nephew had left when he saw the door swinging closed. Run. Run until you can't feel your legs. Run until you can't breathe. The wolf soared through the air when he pushed off of a fallen tree, landing fluidly on his feet before he started to run again, not allowing himself the chance to stop. Leaves crunched under his feet and the cold wind blew around his body, his breath coming out in puffs of smoke in the air. The more he ran, the less he was able to feel, the more numb his body began to become. When his lungs began to burn and his legs shook from the strain was when Derek slowed down to a walk. His green eyes looked up at the sun and didn't need a watch to tell that it was the middle of the afternoon, meaning Stiles was about home with the others following suit. His eyes scanned the area as his phone began to ring from his pocket. 

 

“Hello, Stiles. You pass your Chem test?” 

 

“How'd you know it was me, Sourwolf?” 

 

“It's usually always you or Isaac that calls me. Or Scott, if he needs help, and you always call me the moment you get into your Jeep.” 

 

“You know me so well, I'm touched. Where are you by the way? You're cutting in and out.” 

 

“I think I crossed through about two territories, so I need to get my tail back to Hale territory.” 

 

“You made a funny! I'm finally rubbing off on you! I'm a few miles from my place, meet me there?” 

 

“You don't even have to ask, Stiles. Focus on driving, I'll see you soon. I love you.” 

 

“I love you, too, Der.” 

 

The wolf pocketed his phone and scanned the area once more, eyes drifting over the unfamiliar surroundings. Must be the outskirts of Beacon Hills, I don't even see any houses or hear cars. Derek raised his nose to the air and breathed in a few times, unable to detect any familiar scents. Take another look around, listen closely to what's around you. Can you hear it? Can you hear your cries? His green eyes darted almost frantically around the woods, his ears tuned to any and every sound, hearing the faint sound of chains clanking together. A low whine left his lips as he was drawn to follow the sound of the chains, leading him to an old abandoned shed. The windows were smashed in and the color of the wood was fading, threatening to buckle under all of it. 

“No. Not here.”, whimpered out Derek as his legs carried him to the door of the shed, watching as it swung open as if somebody were expecting him to be there. His fingertips brushed over the wood of the door as his eyes closed, everything in his memory coming to the surface. The screams of the other children, the please, the cries, his own cries. “Let me go!”, “What did I do wrong?!”, “Stop!”, “It hurts!”. 

Derek quickly pulled his hand off the wood, panting heavily as his body continued to shake. The cries still swirled in his mind as he wiped at his eyes with a shaking hand once he realized that tears were flowing down his cheeks. Without a final glance back, he turned and ran in the opposite direction, forcing himself to run on shaking legs. He tore through the trees, thinking if he ran fast enough, he could leave all the memories behind. The wolf's lungs had started to burn the moment his feet landed on the pavement of the road his boyfriend lived on. He took in a few fast and deep breaths in order to get himself calmed down before he reached the front door of the house, climbing up the small set of stairs. He made sure there were no tear tracks on his cheeks before he knocked on the door with his knuckles. From inside the house there was a small crash followed by a thump, more than likely Stiles falling over the leg of a kitchen chair. 

“Stiles, pick up your mess. Derek, come on in, the door is open.”, explained Sheriff Stilinski from inside the house. Derek opened the door and walked inside, shutting it behind himself as he rubbed his arms to get some extra heat. 

“Thank you, Sir. What did he manage to trip over this time?”, asked the wolf as he walked into the kitchen, shaking hands with the older man. 

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'Sir'? He fell over his sneakers, somehow.”, explained John as he looked towards his son, who was picking up the scattered papers from the floor. 

“They snuck up on me! Kinda like you always do, Sourwolf. I swear, I'm buying you a bell to wear around your neck.”, defended Stiles as he placed the papers back on the table. 

“I'm not a cat, Stiles.”, replied Derek as he bent down and picked up the remaining papers that fell under the table. 

“You're as silent as one, give me a heart attack every damn time.”, explained the teen as he regained his footing before he walked over to the fridge, half of his body disappearing inside of it as he rooted around for something. 

“I think these are yours, Sir. I mean. John.”, explained the wolf as he handed the professional looking papers to the man. 

“Just some work for this new case. We're having trouble identifying a few people, and nobody in the circle of suspects seems to know them. It's all a cover up, it seems. This case is years old, looks like it's going to be another cold case. I shouldn't be talking about this with you.”, explained John as he put all the case papers in a pile, with an old photo of an unknown suspect on the top. Derek looked down at the photo on top of the pile and his blood ran cold, he hadn't even realized he had started to shake until a hand came down on his shoulder. 

“Are you okay, Derek? Do you recognize him?”, asked John as he picked up the photo and held it out to the wolf, confusion brewing in his eyes when the teen drew himself back from the photo as if it had burst into flames. 

“I'm fine, John. No, I don't recognize him.”, explained Derek quickly, a bit too quickly for either Stilinksi's liking. They both had grown to pick up on the signs of when the wolf was lying, and now was one of those times.


	3. Chapter 3

“He was last spotted driving a black van, we never got the plate numbers. He was last seen driving around the outskirts of Beacon Hills. We lost sight of him when he cut through the alley ways. He might have ditched the van.”, explained John as he sat down at the table and set all the papers down, photos scattered around in the mass. The van. That black van. He can't be here, there's no way he could be here. 

“You mean he's? Is he in Beacon Hills?”, asked Derek as he locked his eyes on the photos, Stiles coming up to stand at his side. 

“By now he's probably hiding out somewhere near Beacon Hills or he's under the cover of somebody else who's helping hide him out.”, explained the older man as he ran a hand through his short hair, looking from the pictures and papers up to the wolf. The Beta bit down on his bottom lip, hard enough to draw blood, in order to keep himself from giving the Sheriff the plate number for the van, it was engraved in his memory by now. 

“Derek, baby, do you know something about this? Do you recognize the van?”, asked Stiles as he thumbed through the photos, sliding the one of the van towards him. 

“I've seen makes like that before but not with the white barrier around the edges.”, explained the Beta as he licked a droplet of blood from his lip. 

“Derek. We need to know the truth. Have you ever seen this van before? The exact van in this picture.”, asked John as he tapped the picture with his finger. The wolf's body grew tense as he locked his green eyes on the van, he'd look at the picture but he wouldn't pick it up with his own hands, he knew not to touch it. 

“I've never seen the van before. I. Um. I have to go. Peter and I have a perimeter run to do to secure the borders for Scott. I'll see you later, Stiles. John.”, explained Derek as he quickly backed away from the table and was out the door in half that time. 

“Derek!”, called out Stiles as he made a move to follow after his boyfriend, having his Dad's hand come down on his shoulder to stop him. 

“Give him some time, Stiles. He'll come around. You could tell he was lying, couldn't you?”, asked John as he gathered up the case papers and pictures on the table, trying to arrange them in a pile. 

“He bites his lip when he doesn't want to say something. Digs his nails into his arms when he's trying not to bolt or he's nervous, even scared or upset. I wish he would just open up and let somebody in.”, explained Stiles as he gathered up his school work and shoved it into his backpack. 

“Keep an eye on him, Stiles. If you can, try to get something out of him. Derek knows something, maybe more then we do, but he's not going to say it willingly. It'll take a bit. Just don't push him too hard.”, explained John as he gave his son's shoulder a gentle squeeze. 

The second Derek's feet touched the road outside of the Stilinski's household, he bolted, legs tensing to no avail as he ran with the adrenaline in his veins fueling him forward. He can't be in Beacon Hills! It's not possible! He can't be here! The wolf continued his sprint, feet pounding on the pavement of the road, narrowly missing a clipping from a car as he crossed lanes of the road, hearing the blaring horn behind him. Can't leave such a precious little boy alone. You knew we'd find you eventually. Such a treasure for us, always so good for us and the others. He shuddered at the voice of the man and slowed down his run to a fast walk, the cold air chilling him to the bone as he walked, wishing he had brought his leather jacket along with him. Get your head on straight, Hale. You can't train Scott to manage his Alpha powers, or manage the pack like this. The wolf forced the voice away and focused on just getting back to the house to help Peter, his eyes flickering blue a few times when he heard the unmistakable sound of the van's engine. Derek's eyes jumped from car to car along the road as he picked up the pace of his walk, ears tuned to the rumble of the specific engine. When the sound got a bit louder his eyes shot up, locking on the van that was a few street corners up. 

His heart started to race as his eyes scanned over every inch of the van, from the white border to the dent in the left rear bumper. It was the exact same van, but when he looked at the man behind the wheel, he was different, it wasn't the same guy. John was right, somebody is covering him. Derek was just about to duck back into the shadows when the driver of the van met his eyes, the man's eyes filling with realization when he recognized him. Fear started to fill the wolf's body as he took a few steps back before turning around, freezing mid step when he saw the man who owned the van, the man who had taken him when he was little. A growl formed in his throat when he realized that he was cornered, if he walked backwards the van would be blocking his path, and if he walked forwards the man who started this all would have him in a second. Derek willed his wolf to come forward, in order to give him a sense of reassurance, to seek the contact of the wolf, to allow the animal to have control of his instincts. Confusion filled his eyes when his wolf seemed to shrink back, not daring to step forward, as if the animal inside was just as damaged. The Beta had no idea that with this much fear in his body, it would be almost impossible to start a shift, even a partial shift couldn't be done. With no other option, he ducked back into an alleyway, he was ready to take the long way back to the Hale house before he heard a sickening crack and everything went black. 

 

TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW 

 

“Where the hell is he, Peter? I thought we were working on training this afternoon after school.”, asked Scott as he leaned back against the counter in the kitchen, with the rest of the pack scattered around the house. 

“He left earlier for a run and he didn't come back yet. He's probably off somewhere in the further sections of the territory.”, replied Peter calmly as he looked at the new Alpha of the pack. 

“Stiles is here! Ask him.”, called out Erika from where she was stretched out on the floor after wrestling with a panting Isaac. 

“Ask me what?”, asked the teen as he shut the door, tossing his jacket off onto the nearest chair. 

“Where Derek is.”, replied Scott as he walked into the living room with Peter following behind him. 

“Derek left my house about half and hour ago. I thought he would have come back here by now?”, explained Stiles with wide eyes as he glanced from each member of the pack. 

“He never showed up to train Scott on Alpha powers. We figured he was with you.”, explained Isaac as he sat up on the floor, worry now filling his usually calm eyes. 

“Has nobody seen Derek?”, asked Peter with a firm voice, trying his best to hide the worry that was filling it for his nephew. All heads in the room shook the same answer: No. 

“Scott, I know you're the Alpha now, but I'm not taking any chances here. Split them all up on a search. Get Deaton on standby in case he's hurt.”, ordered the oldest wolf as he looked towards the younger one. 

“Erika and Boyd, take North to East. Jackson and Lydia, take South to West. Allison, you're with Peter and I, we'll take the North and South streets. Isaac, you're with Stiles, cover East and West streets. If you find Derek or pick up on anything, either contact me or Peter. It'll be dark in a few hours, and werewolves or not, we're running out of time. We need to find him before it get's dark, it's harder to see hunter's traps in the dark.”, ordered Scott as he paired everybody up and without another word, they were out the door, heading in their respective directions. 

“Where the heck could he be? He always sticks to his word when it comes to training.”, asked Isaac as he and Stiles started their walk up the streets. 

“I don't know, Isaac. I wish I did. When he left my house, he was pretty upset and jumpy. He's hiding something from us, even my Dad noticed it.”, explained Stiles as he followed the wolf up another street. 

“What made him so jumpy?”, asked the wolf as he looked down at the smaller teen with curiosity brewing in his eyes. 

“He was just looking at some case pictures with my Dad. We both could tell he recognized the man in the photos and the van in the photos, too. We just don't know how he knows them, we don't know the connection that –.”, started the teen, but he was soon cut off when he saw the wolf's eyes flicker gold. 

“I smell blood.”, explained the wolf as he raised his nose to the air, bringing the scent in. 

“Is it Derek's?!”, demanded Stiles with wide eyes, his voice getting louder with each word. 

“It's Derek's.”, replied Isaac lowly as he looked down the alleyway that they were standing by.


	4. Chapter 4

As he began to regain consciousness, Derek's eyes started to flutter open, his vision swirling and swimming as he looked around, barely able to keep his eyes open or raise his head. He hissed in pain as he raised his head, his vision threatening to go black again as he struggled to push himself up off of the floor. His feet slipped on the slick floor, his hands getting coated in the sticky substance when he caught himself before he completely fell. He knew it was blood, more than likely his own, judging by the metallic scent that was drifting in the air. Derek pushed himself up onto his feet again and it took everything he had in him to not scream as white hot pain soared up his left leg, which was threatening to buckle under his weight as he grabbed at the wall to keep himself up. Even in the darkness of which he thought was a basement, he could tell his left leg was broken from how it was awkwardly twisted, leaving him wondering why it wasn't healing. 

“There has to be a way out of here.”, muttered the wolf to himself as he kept his hand on the wall, limping around the room in an attempt to find a door or a window, something that would help him get out of there. 

“I knew you'd be waking up soon, the head wound wasn't anything too bad, just a bit of a cracked skull. Couldn't do much damage to something as precious as you.”, spoke a male voice from the stairs of the basement as the door closed behind the man. 

A light flickered on above them with a sharp click, filling the room with a dull yellow light, not enough to see clearly but enough to be able to navigate. 

“I see you managed to stand up, you're definitely stronger than you were when you were little.”, explained the man as he stepped into the light, giving the wolf a chance to fully see what he looked like. He was a bit burly, standing at least a few inches taller than the wolf, a scar above his right eye, with a dark tattoo curling down the side of his neck towards his collar bone and shoulder, brown eyes hollow and narrowed. 

“A lot stronger.”, hissed out Derek as he bared his teeth a bit, taking a step back to place distance between himself and the man. 

“I can't wait to watch you break and just take whatever we give you without much of a struggle. I can see it in your eyes, boy, you're still just as damaged and terrified as you were before.”, explained the man as he took a few steps towards the teen, and in the blink of an eye he swung out his leg and sent a firm kick to the wolf's broken leg. Derek let out the scream that was building in his chest, his eyes shut tightly as his leg buckled underneath him, catching himself on his arm before he fully hit the concrete floor. 

“Oh, how I’ve missed the sound of that scream.”, said the man slowly as he grinned down at the green eyed teen. He reached out and ran his fingers through the wolf's black hair before he grabbed hold of his jaw firmly, forcing him to look him in the eyes. 

“Don't fucking touch me.”, growled out Derek as he swiped at the man's arm, watching as a few pink lines started to form on his skin. Even with human nails, it would still make some damage, they were still sharp and just as hard as claws. He watched as the man rubbed his hand over the scratches as he walked back towards the basement stairs. 

“If you're lucky enough they'll start you off with somebody small. Or they'll decide to go hard and break you from the very start.”, explained the man as he walked back up the basement stairs, flipping the light back off before he walked out of the basement, leaving the wolf alone in the dark. 

“Come on. Come on.”, ground out Derek as he forced himself up onto his legs, not daring to put weight on his broken one, he managed to move around the room again, fingers sliding over the walls as he searched for a window. He knew with a broken leg there'd be little to no chance of him managing to get up the stairs and out of wherever he was without a fight. The wolf raised his nose to the air and tried to pick up on any familiar scents, the only thing being brought back were hidden memories. I can't howl without drawing attention from whoever is upstairs, but I can do something close to it. Derek threw his head back and let out a very high pitched yowl, to high for any humans to hear, clamping his mouth shut when the yowl ended in a pained whimper. 

 

TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW 

 

Isaac pulled out his cell and dialed Scott before pressing it to his ear, watching Stiles pace back and forth near the entrance of the alley. Anxiety and worry was coming off of the teen in heavy waves, mixing with a little bit of fear for his boyfriend. The wolf bit his lip as he heard the phone dialing, waiting with worry filled eyes of his own, a few minutes passed before he heard the other wolf answer. 

 

"Isaac?" 

 

"We got something Scott, I can smell Derek's blood. We're at an alley out on Church Hill Road. There's another scent here but I can't place it." 

 

"Take a look around the alley and see what you can find. We're on our way. Try and keep Stiles under control while you look. Describe the new scent." 

 

"It's musky and definitely male. There is a hint of some type of cologne, it's not very strong, but it's there." 

 

"That doesn't sound very familiar, even Peter doesn't recognize it from the description. Just take a look around, we'll be there soon." 

 

Isaac ended the call and pocketed his phone, taking a glance around before he walked into the alley, Stiles slowly following after him. 

“They're on their way here. We're supposed to take a look around and see what we can find.”, explained the wolf as he tested the scents in the alley, trying to locate where the scent of the older wolf's blood was coming from. 

“It's going to be impossible to find anything in the dark, the sun's starting to go down. Unlike you, I don't have wolf eyes.”, explained Stiles as he squinted his eyes in an attempt to look around, his eyes starting to scan the alley floor. 

“Just don't trip over your own feet.”, said the wolf as his eyes turned golden as he scanned the alley floor, soon hearing the all too familiar sound of the smaller teen falling over a broken crate. 

“I'm fine. I'm fine.”, said the teen as he stood up and brushed himself off. “Got something.”, said Isaac as he inhaled the rusty scent of blood, knowing it came from the blue eyed Beta, following the scent until he came across a led pipe that was on the ground near a car tire. 

“What is it?”, asked Stiles as he walked over to the taller teen, making sure that he didn't trip this time. Isaac bent down and picked up the pipe in his hand, his eyes landing on the blood that was near the top. 

“It's a pipe. Somebody must have hit him with it or something, his blood is covering the top, they must have hit him pretty hard with it.”, explained the wolf as he set the pipe down on a crate, worry filling his eyes even more. 

“Where the hell could he be?! He shouldn't be up and moving if he has a head wound, he could fall into a coma!”, exclaimed Stiles as his arms flailed in fear. 

“Calm down and take a few deep breaths. We'll find him, Stiles. We're going to find him.”, said Isaac firmly as his eyes narrowed in determination. 

“Should I? Should I call my Dad? He might know where to start.”, asked the teen as he took out his cell and dialed his Dad's number. 

“Not yet, Stiles. We need to try and get a pinpoint on Derek's location, try and track his scent or the mystery scent.”, explained Peter as he walked up behind the teen, rolling his eyes when the teen jumped in surprise and almost fell into Isaac. 

“Derek's blood is all over this pipe. It looks like somebody must have hit him over the head with it.”, explained the wolf as he picked up the pipe and handed it to the Alpha. 

“If he's smart, he'll start to heal.”, explained Peter as he walked over to the Beta. 

“We can use this to try and track his scent, the blood is still a bit fresh so that makes it easier to track.”, explained Scott as he handed the pipe back to the Beta, just as the rest of the pack walked into the alley. 

“Do you have anything to go by?”, asked Boyd as he walked into the alley with Erika at his side. 

“Derek's blood and a different scent that we can't recognize. That's about it.”, explained Isaac slowly as he glanced at Stiles before he looked towards Scott. All the wolves' eyes lit up when they heard a yowl that was a bit faint, but loud enough for them to hear it.


	5. Chapter 5

As the hands gripped his hips even harder, Derek bit down on his arm to keep a stream of curses from leaving his lips, pain soaring through his legs and up his spine. 

“Don't bite down too hard, baby boy. I'm not into blood play.”, ordered the older man as he pressed in closer to Derek, pinning him against the concrete wall as he continued his thrusts. 

“I either bite down or I sc-scream.”, managed out the wolf as he tried to suck in a few mouthfuls of air, hoping the pain would decrease. 

“Go ahead and scream, nobody is going to hear you. Nobody is going to save you.”, said the man into the wolf's ear as he brought his hand up to grasp his neck, almost cutting off his air supply. Derek tried to force down his panic as his air supply was momentarily cut off, his face becoming flushed as he struggled to get air back into his lungs, gasping deeply as he tried to force air into his lungs, pulling at the man's arm to get him to release his grip. 

“C-Can't br-breath.”, forced out the wolf as he clawed at the older man's arm with his nails, desperate to get him to release his neck as the man's thumb pressed against his airway. He older man's breathing hitched as he reached his orgasm, the fore of his final thrust sending Derek's hips into the wall, the rough concrete scrapping into them. 

“Clean yourself up, the others still want their turns with you. You get the main man next, he's been waiting since you were brought in.”, explained the man as he tossed an old small towel towards the wolf, who was struggling to stand on shaking legs as he gulped in lungfuls of air. 

Derek had already taken on four other guys, each of them having their own way of causing pain that would last for a while. The pain coming from his broken leg and now the pain that was radiating through his body was starting to get the better of him as he allowed his shaking legs to buckle underneath him, catching himself with his hands braced on the floor so it wouldn't cause any further injury. 

“The next person to walk down those stairs, loses a limb.”, threatened the wolf as he clenched his hands into fists, biting down on his lip to keep from screaming out as the pain took on a whole new wave as it raced through his body. 

“We'll see about that, baby boy. You're already starting to give in, you didn't hold much resistance that time.” explained the older man as he walked up the stairs and opened the door, a stream of bright light shining down into the darkness, allowing the wolf to actually see what condition his body was actually in. His broken leg was almost fully purple and covered in bruises from the broken bone, having gone completely numb from the pain. His hips were scraped open from the concrete wall and there were bruises lining the sides of them, the wolf's ribs were partially cracked from a few firm kicks when he decided to strike back, and now there was a hand shaped bruise around his neck. With a small groan he leaned back against the wall, using his hands to try and find at least one article of his clothing, his hand landing on his boxers which were only a few lengths away. 

The door to the basement slammed shut and all light was cut off as the wolf pulled on the boxers, a sharp hiss leaving his lips as moving only seemed to increase the pain. There has to be something down here to use as a weapon without having to resort to claws. With a clenched jaw, Derek got to his hands and knees and slid his hands across the rough floor, his fingers only sliding over tiny pieces of rocks before they landed on something hard, his fingertips only being able to reach it. 

“Come on.”, muttered Derek as he lunged forward, his hand closing down around the object which he recognized once his hand touched it: His cellphone. The wolf clicked a button and let the phone light up, noticing that it barely had any battery life left, maybe only enough for one call, if that. He leaned back against the wall with a pant and dialed Stile's number, pressing it to his ear, his heart racing as he heard it ringing. 

 

"Derek?! Where the hell are you?! Are you okay?! What happened?! You're on speakerphone!" 

 

"Sti'? Stiles, I don't have much time. The phone is going to die in a few minutes. You've got to get me out of here, I can't get out on my own. You have to get me out of here. Please!" 

 

"Derek, baby, calm down. Please. Where are you? Give us a description." 

 

"I don't know. I think it's a basement. It's not a house, it's too big. A building basement or something. God, Sti', I can't do this." 

 

"Hang in there, baby, hang in there. Peter, Scott, and Isaac are tracking your scent. I'm going to have my Dad track the signal from your cell. Are you okay?" 

 

"Honest answer? No, I. I'm not okay. Stiles, I'm terrified, I don't know how much more I can take. I. I got to go. Somebody else is coming back down. I. I love you." 

 

"Baby, stay on the phone just a little longer, my Dad almost has the signal. Stay on with me, baby." 

 

"I love you, Sti'." 

 

The line went dead on both ends of the phone and Stiles threw his down on the table in the Hale house where his Dad and a few members of the pack were standing around. 

“Lost him, please tell me you have something.”, ground out Stiles as he looked towards his Dad, who was bent over a computer hooked up to a bunch of wires, typing quickly on the keys. 

“He wasn't on long enough to get an exact location, but the signal is coming from Clearwater, a few miles outside of town. Call Scott and have him head that way, they can try to lock on his scent there.”, explained John with a sigh as he continued to type on the keyboard, hints of determination in his eyes which were locked on the screen. Stiles picked up his phone again and quickly dialed Scott's number, pressing it to his ear as it rang. 

 

"Stiles?" 

 

"Please tell me you've got something. My Dad almost has the location from Derek's cell, and I just got off the line with him a few seconds ago. It doesn't look good." 

 

"We're at least 2 miles out of town, his scent is getting faint. Does your Dad have any leads?" 

 

"He says to head towards Clearwater and try picking up on his scent there. Scott, we've got to hurry. You didn't hear Derek on the phone, he is terrified and sounded close to tears." 

 

"Peter just turned us towards Clearwater, we'll be in Clearwater in about 10 minutes. We're going to find him, Stiles."


	6. Chapter 6

“You're still such a pretty little boy, and all grown up now. I've been dying to see you even since we brought you in, but I knew the others needed to break you in first before I could get my hands on you.”, praised the man as he walked down the basement stairs, eyes full of hunger as they raked over the wolf's body. Derek couldn't help but tense and slide himself back against the wall, in order to put some distance between him and the man, clamping his jaws shut to hold a whimper at bay. 

“You know how many years it took me to find you? You sure do know how to make yourself invisible.”, asked the man as he flipped the switch on the corner, the basement filling with a flickering light. 

“As long as it keeps me away from you.”, growled out Derek as his nails scraped across the concrete floor, wanting desperately to turn into lethal claws. 

“Now, don't be like that. We both know you're begging for it, that you deserve each and every little thing that we do to you.”, explained the man as he approached the teen, now having him backed into a corner watching as he shook like a leave. Derek couldn't help but start to believe the man, believe that he deserved what was happening to him, believe that it was his fault and that he was asking for it. 

“Stay the hell away from me.”, snapped the wolf as he kicked out at the man with his good leg, watching in satisfaction as bone crunched, having broke the man's nose. 

“Just like the old times, huh? You would always strike out when you were too terrified to do anything else. Let's take a trip down memory lane, but this time, you'll be able to watch it over and over again.”, explained the man after he had realigned his nose, gesturing towards the video camera he had set up a few feet away, directly angled at them to catch every second. Derek rose to his feet and put all of his weight on his good leg as he backed himself into the corner, unknowingly trapping himself there. 

“Every little session we have had has been recorded and stored upstairs. You were the prized favorite among many other men, I can't begin to count how many have seen these little videos, or how many have saved them for their own use.”, explained the man as he shot out a fist and cracked the wolf on the cheekbone, the skin splitting under the force as his head snapped to the side, narrowly missing the wall. A hiss left the wolf's lips as blood trickled down from the split skin, eyes narrowing at the man, a scream tearing its way from his lips when his broken leg was swept out from under himself, landing hard on the floor. This can't be real. This can't be happening. Please, just let me wake up. 

“You won't put up much of a fight, I can see it in your eyes. The others really did a number on you, and you're finally right where I want you.”, explained the man as he grabbed the wolf by the neck and hauled him up onto his feet, slamming him roughly into the wall behind him. The last thing Derek remembered was a familiar pain soaring back up his spine before his eyes rolled back in his head. 

 

TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW 

 

As night gave in to day, bringing forward the second day that Derek was missing, Stiles got a bit more on edge as he and his Dad continued to work on the computer. 

“Peter, Scott, and Isaac are still out tracking Derek's scent in Clearwater. They're bound to have something by now. Are you getting anything from the tower where the signal was being looped through?”, asked Stiles as he began to pace back and forth on the other side of the table, his nerves growing with each passing second that they didn't find his boyfriend. 

“It's located 3 miles outside of Clearwater. If I can pinpoint its exact location, and the location from where the previous call was made, I may be able to get Derek's exact location if he hasn't moved. Just give me a few minutes, take the time to get Scott on the phone and see if they have anything.”, ordered John as he handed his pacing son his cellphone and quickly nudged him out of the room. Stiles walked outside and leaned back against the side of the house, closing the door behind himself as he dialed Scott, pressing the cellphone to his ear as it rang. 

 

"Does your Dad have anything yet, Stiles? Isaac says “Hi” by the way. Peter is locked on Derek's scent and we're tracking it on foot." 

 

"He thinks he may have figured out a way to get an exact location on Derek, he's working with it right now. Give me a second to go back inside and I'll see if he has anything now." 

 

"Let him know were at least 4 miles into Clearwater now, and Derek's scent is getting stronger. Peter looks like he's about to slaughter somebody, so he must smell something that we don't." 

 

"Yes! My Dad found Derek's location! Start heading East towards the abandoned warehouse near 81. You'll have to follow a bit of a trail to get there, but he's definitely in that warehouse. We're on our way, dude. I'll give Deaton a call and have him follow us down. My Dad is working on getting us directions, because we don't have werewolf noses for scent." 

 

"We're headed East now, Peter says that you need to hurry and make Deaton hurry, too. Something is definitely wrong, Peter looks like he's going to murder anything and anybody in sight. Isaac, slow down!" 

 

"We're on our way. Make sure Derek is alive and you bring him out alive. Understand me, Scott?" 

 

"I understand, Stiles. We'll get him back in your arms safely." 

 

Stiles hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket as John wrote down the directions to the warehouse, the teen grabbing the keys to his Jeep as they both bolted outside, soon followed by Erika and Boyd. 

“I'll call Deaton on the way. This really doesn't seem good.”, explained the teen as he got in the passenger side with his Dad behind the wheel. 

“Do Scott and the others know where they're going?”, asked Erika with concern in her eyes as she leaned forward with his hands on the headrest. 

“They're locked in on Derek's scent, it gets stronger the further in to Clearwater that they go.”, explained Stiles before he heard Deaton finally answer the phone. Boyd watched from the backseat as John pressed his foot down on the gas peddle, the little dial steadily increasing and increasing as the Jeep drove faster by the second. 

“Did Deaton agree to meet us there?”, asked John as he made another turn, the Jeep bouncing when the tires struck a deep pothole in the road. 

“He's on his way right now. He should be there a few minutes after we get there.”, explained Stiles as he hung up the cellphone and put it back in his pocket, his knee bouncing nervously on the floor of the car, biting down on his nails out of habit. 

“We'll bring him home safely, Stiles.”, promised John as he turned onto another road, looking at the directions that were on the dashboard. 

“I just hope Derek's okay and that he's healing.”, replied Stiles as he looked around, eyes darting from one thing to the next, both Betas in the backseat sensing his nervousness and fear. The tension in the Jeep only seemed to increase the closer they got to Derek's location, Stiles' leg tapping on the floor got a little faster as they passed a large sign that said 'Welcome to Clearwater'. 

“Stiles, calm down. You're going to send yourself into a panic attack if you don't calm down.”, ordered John as he once again looked at the directions, reaching over to place his hand on his son's knee, giving it a gentle but firm squeeze of reassurance. 

“I'll feel a lot better once I know that Derek is okay and back at home again.”, replied Stiles as he tightly gripped the door handle on the inside of the door. 

“I can smell Derek!”, exclaimed Erika with wide eyes as she all but jumped into the passenger seat to stick her head out the window, the wind blowing the wolf's scent to her. 

“We're headed the right way?”, asked John as he looked towards the blonde out of the corner of his eye. 

“Drive faster, it's getting stronger! I can smell Isaac, too! They must have just passed through here a few minutes ago.”, explained Erika as Boyd had to literally pull her back into the back seat, strong arms holding her into the seat. 

“I can see Isaac! Isaac!”, called out Stiles as he put his head out the window and called the Beta's name loudly, watching as the golden eyed wolf looked at him with wide eyes before using his hands to gesture for them to keep driving. 

“Scott scent me back here to wait for you, him and Peter are almost at the warehouse. Keep driving. I'll catch up once Deaton gets here.”, explained Isaac as he tapped the side of the Jeep with his hand as they passed him. John nodded at the wolf in the rear view mirror as they continued down the road, leaving a dirt trail behind them. The Jeep came to a rumbling stop as the dirt settled on the road, all eyes locked on the warehouse. 

“There's way too many human scents here for it to be abandoned.”, explained Boyd as they all got out of the Jeep, just as Scott walked out of the building. 

“Peter found Derek! He wouldn't let me near him, he said it's best if we keep Stiles out of the warehouse until Deaton gets here. It really doesn't look good, I didn't get the chance to take a good look, but there's a lot of blood.”, explained Scott with worry filled eyes as he watched John pull Stiles back towards the Jeep, ordering him firmly to stay where he's at. 

“Where the hell is Deaton?!”, screamed out Peter as he walked outside, his hands covered in his nephew's fresh blood. 

“Where is he, Peter?”, asked the vet as he ran up to them with Isaac at his side. 

“He's in the basement, I hope you're prepared.”, warned Peter as he disappeared back into the warehouse. 

“John, I need you in here! We need help holding Derek down, he's too feral to get anything done without sedating him. Bring Stiles! It might help calm him down.”, called out Deaton from inside the building, hoping the man could hear him. 

“Scott, keep the Betas out here.”, ordered John as he walked into the building with Stiles at his side, both of them walking down to the basement. Derek was once again cornered in the basement, chest rising and falling sharply, eyes wide and full of fear, body shaking in pain and shock. When Stiles saw the condition that the wolf was in, tears formed in his eyes as he struggled to keep them at bay. 

“Stiles, when we get him down, I need you at his head so he is only focusing on you. John, you've got his legs, and Peter has his arms and upper body.”, explained Deaton as he opened his medical bag and filled a syringe with the right dosage of a tranquilizer. 

“What happened to him?”, ground out Stiles as he looked towards the vet. 

“I'll be able to tell you once I examine him. Now.”, ordered Deaton as he nodded at the two other men. Peter lunged at Derek's upper body, hands clamping down around his wrists as he forced him onto his back on the floor while John pressed his weight down on the wolf's good leg. 

“No! No! No! Get off me! Get off!”, cried out Derek as his struggles turned more frantic, tears sliding down his cheeks.


	7. Chapter 7

“Shhhhhhhhhh, baby. You're going to be okay. We're not going to hurt you. You're safe now. You're safe.”, cooed Stiles into the wolf's ear as he stroked his sweat matted hair. Transferring the wolf from the warehouse basement to Deaton's veterinary van had been a slow process, keeping the wolf calm during the small transfer had been even harder. 

“Try not to jostle his leg too much, we're almost back to the clinic.”, ordered Deaton from the front seat of the van as he continued to drive. 

“He's not looking good, Deaton.”, explained John as he helped his son to stabilize the wolf in the back of the van. 

“Check his pulse again and avoid his fangs.”, ordered the vet as he drove a bit faster, seeing the rest of the Pack following them from behind in the Jeep and their cars. John reached down and pressed his fingers gently to the side of the wolf's neck, feeling a weak beating pulse. 

“His pulse is weak but it's there. He's fighting.”, explained the Sheriff as his thumb brushed over the wolf's cheek in a tiny act of comfort. A low whine left Derek's lips as he struggled to open his eyes, the wound to his head starting to affect him. 

“Sti'?”, muttered out Derek as he turned his head in the direction of the teen, he wasn't able to say much or even understand what was happening to him now. 

“I'm right here, baby. I'm right here. You're safe now. You're going to be okay.”, cooed Stiles as he pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's bloody forehead.

“Stiles go open the front door and the door to one of the examination rooms. John, I need your help transferring Derek again.”, ordered Deaton as the van came to a stop outside the clinic and was put in park. The sounds of the Pack pulling up were recognized by the squealing of tires and the sounds of doors being quickly slammed shut. 

“Is he alive?!”, demanded Isaac as he all but jumped into the back of the van once the doors were opened. 

“Step back Isaac. Derek's alive but in very critical condition, we're going to have to act fast. He might have to go to the hospital if there is something I cannot do.”, explained Deaton as he and John carried a half conscious Derek into the clinic and into an examination room, gently lying him down on the table. 

“Scott, keep the rest of the Pack out of this room. John, help Stiles hold him down so I can give him a sedative that will keep him out long enough for me to do a full examination. Isaac, help me gather a few things.”, ordered the vet as he turned on the light above the table, letting it shine brightly down onto the wolf. 

“Why isn't he healing?”, asked Isaac as he helped the man gather everything he would need to treat the wolf, laying it all on a side table by the table. 

“His fear is suppressing his wolf. If Derek is afraid, he can't shift, if he can't shift then he can't heal.”, explained Deaton as he nodded at the two to get prepared to hold the wolf down.

The moment their hands touched the wolf's body and applied pressure, his back arched up off of the table and a broken roar left his mouth. 

“Easy. Easy. I know it hurts, baby, I know. It won’t hurt for long.”, explained Stiles as he stroked his boyfriend’s hair, whispering into his ear in an attempt to calm him down. Deaton slid a needle into the side of the wolf’s neck and injected the sedative, hearing a hiss leave the wolf’s lips as it burned through his veins. 

“You can release your grip now. It was a pretty powerful sedative; it’ll keep him under for a few hours. That’ll give me enough time to do the full body examination and rebreak, set, and cast his leg.”, explained the vet as he picked up scissors, cutting the shirt from the wolf’s body, tossing it to the floor. 

“Did you just say rebreak? You’re going to break his leg again?”, asked Isaac with wide eyes, a sick feeling starting to build in his stomach. 

“His leg will need to be broken again in order to properly set it so I can cast it. Derek won’t feel a thing.”, explained Deaton as he walked to the wolf’s broken left leg. 

“I’m. Um. I’m just gonna. I’m gonna wait out there.”, stuttered out Isaac as he quickly bolted from the room and into the Lobby. 

“Stiles, John, I think it’d be best if you both wait in the Lobby with the rest of the Pack. Believe me, you’re not going to want to see this.”, explained Deaton as he gestured towards the door with his free hand. 

“I promised Derek I wouldn’t leave.”, explained Stiles with firmness in his voice and eyes. John grabbed his son’s arm and hauled him out of the examination room, ignoring his struggling and protesting. 

 

TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW 

 

3 hours had passed before Deaton walked from the examination room and into the Lobby, shedding bloody gloves from his hands as he walked, tossing them into the trashcan. 

“How is he, Deaton?”, asked John as he rose from his seat, his movement startling Stiles awake, who almost fell from his own seat. 

“He’s as stable as I can get him right now. I have him on IV fluids, his leg is mended and in a cast, the wound on his head is bandaged even though he definitely has a concussion. A few of his ribs were cracked, but I gave him something to get his healing started. There is more to say, but I’d rather not say it in front of the entire Pack.”, explained Deaton as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking towards the Sheriff. 

“Whatever you have to say, I think it’d be best to say it on front of the Pack. They need to know just as much as Stiles and I need to.”, explained John as he helped his flailing son to his feet. 

“Sit down, both of you, and I’ll tell you. But nobody, and I mean nobody, goes rushing into that room. The sedative is starting to wear off a little, so he’s becoming a bit alert.”, explained the vet as he pulled up a chair and sat down facing the Pack. “What aren’t you telling us, Deaton?”, asked Stiles as he looked anxiously towards the door to the examination room. 

“There are showing signs that Derek was molested while in the hands of his captors. As well as scaring to show that there were previous acts of molestation in the past.”, explained Deaton as he looked from Pack member to Pack member. 

“Are you telling us that Derek is showing signs of previous molestation to add to the signs now? It was never reported, I would have remembered if something like that was reported.”, explained John in confusion as he looked towards the vet. 

“Some victims never come forward to report something as traumatizing as being molested. I’m guessing by the scars that he was about 8 the first time it happened.”, explained the vet with a hint of shock in his voice. That was all it took for Stiles to bolt from his chair and run into the examination room, leaving a stunned Pack behind him. 

“There’s no way that could happen. That doesn’t happen to guys.”, said Scott in complete confusion as he looked towards his Boss. Isaac clamped his jaw shut on a growl and smacked his Alpha upside the head before he rose from his chair and walked into the examination room. 

“Dude!”, called out Scott as he watched his Beta walk into the examination room. 

“You’re just lucky it wasn’t Stiles that hit you. This can happen to anybody, no matter what gender they are.”, explained John as he looked down at the teen in the chair. 

“Can we see him? Please?”, asked Erica as she rose from her chair, desperately looking towards the door with concern in her eyes. 

“Go on in, but don’t crowd around him. Try to keep your voices low and heart beats steady. You don’t want to startle him, no telling how he’ll react.”, explained Deaton as he held the door open for the rest of the Pack to file in. John motioned for his son to join him in the Lobby, noticing the anger and fear and concern in his son’s brown eyes. 

“He looks like he’s been hit by a truck and steam rolled, Dad.”, ground out Stiles as he started to pace as a way of getting his anger out. 

“This is not going to go unnoticed by the Department, Stiles. I’ll make sure of it. Derek is like a second son to me and I’m going to push this case until we have something solid to work with. Deaton must have collected DNA from whoever did this to him, we can start with that. Whoever did this is not going to get away with it. We will find them.”, explained John with a stern voice, determination filling his eyes as he looked his son in the eyes. 

“You’re not keeping me out of this case, not when it involves Derek. Whatever you find out, I better know about it. I’ll see if I can get Derek to talk about what happened after he’s completely stable and has started to heal a bit more. He’s the only one who knows of anything that has happened.”, explained Stiles as he ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. 

“For now all we can do is collect that DNA, get some food and rest, and hope for the best.”, explained John as he followed his son back into the examination room, taking up position beside the wolf’s head. 

“Hey, Derek. I know you’re not fully awake yet, and I know you’re probably still in a lot of pain. But we’re here, we’re all here. Listen to our hearts, the entire Pack is here and so is my Dad. I’m so glad to have you back, baby. I’m glad to know that you’re finally safe and back in good hands. We’re not going to leave your side, Derek. We’re not going anywhere.”, explained Stiles as he pressed a kiss to Derek’s temple and forehead.


	8. Chapter 8

When Derek finally awoke from the sedative he was no longer in the veterinary clinic, he was laying in his bed in the Hale House. He made a move to sit up and instantly regretted it as everything swirled around him, threatening to make him fall out of the bed. He slowly reached back and touched his head where he had the bump of the concussion, wincing at the fact that it was still tender. He kicked off the blankets and sat up, clenching his jaw around the pain that soured up his legs and spine. He planted his feet firmly on the floor, hearing a muted thud from the cast on his leg and foot as he stood. 

“What do you think you're doing?”, asked Stiles as he walked into the bedroom, eyebrows raised and eyes narrowed in sternness. The wolf spun around with a growl, blue eyes blazing and claws sliding from his fingertips. 

“Easy, baby. It's just me. I didn't mean to scare you, I just came back to check up on you again. You're not supposed to be out of bed yet. Deaton wants you to take it easy on your leg since it's taking longer to heal. That order also comes from Peter and my Dad. You're supposed to stay in bed and recover.”, explained Stiles as he placed a hand on the wolf's chest and steadied him on his feet when he looked as if he were going to fall over. 

“I just. I don't want to be alone. I can hear the rest of the Pack downstairs, and so is the Sheriff and Mrs. McCall.”, explained Derek with a tiny flinch at how weak his voice sounded.

“You don't have to be alone; we just want you to take it really easy. I'll help you downstairs but don't growl at me if Peter, my Dad, or Mrs. McCall comes at you for being out of bed. Oh, don't give me that look; you know how they are when somebody is hurt. Do you want a blanket to take down?”, asked the teen as he helped to keep the wolf on his feet. 

“I'll use you as my shield.”, teased the older teen as he caught the dark blue blanket that was tossed to him, the fuzzy fabric brushing against his cheek when he caught it. 

“Who do I look like? Captain America?”, asked the younger teen as he looked up at his boyfriend. The wolf looked from the teen's Captain America shirt with the shield on it before looking back to his eyes, his eyebrows raised high in amusement. 

“Not one word, Derek Lee. Or you can slide down the stairs on your butt.”, joked Stiles as he wrapped an arm around the older teen's waist and helped him walk, well, hobble, out of the room and to the stairs. 

“Now here comes the hard part.”, teased Derek as he put a slight smile on his face to keep a mask up so he wouldn't worry his boyfriend or the Pack any longer. Stiles could easily see through the mask that the wolf had put on and placed a kiss to his temple. 

“You're safe now, Der. I promise. We're not going to let anything happen to you. It wasn't your fault that it happened to you.”, promised the younger teen as he kissed his cheek this time. He looked up at him in confusion when he felt the older teen grow tense in his arms, fear filling the wolf's eyes. 

“Der’?”, asked Stiles as he looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows to show his confusion. 

“You know what happened?”, asked Derek as he looked down at his boyfriend, his eyes getting dark with unspoken fear. 

“We all know, baby. Deaton confirmed it at the clinic and told us all as a Pack. My Dad is looking into it; he’s not going to give up easily on this. He’ll do whatever it takes to bring down the people who did this to you.”, explained Stiles with determination in his eyes as he helped the wolf down a few of the stairs. 

“I don’t want anybody getting mixed up in this.”, ground out Derek through clenched teeth as he gripped the banister tightly, basically hoping down a few of the stairs. 

“Don’t even think about it, Sourwolf. We’re getting into this whether you like it or not, you deserve to have the people who did this to you put in jail. After everything they’ve done, they deserve to rot in jail.”, hissed out Stiles with hints of anger in his voice that the wolf wasn’t used to. 

“I didn’t want anybody to find out.”, whispered Derek as they finished the stairs with another muted thud, hearing Stiles chuckle to himself as they both swayed and almost fell on their butts on the last stair. 

“Derek Lee Hale. Genim Stiles Stilinski. Just what do you think you’re doing?”, demanded Mrs. McCall as she walked out of the kitchen, eyes landing on the pair. 

“So close.”, whispered Stiles as he and Derek managed a few more hobbled steps, before the wolf started to say on his feet, his skin turning an ashy white. 

“This is why he’s not allowed out of bed yet. What were you two thinking?”, demanded Melissa as she walked over to the pair and helped the teen get the wolf on the couch. Derek hissed sharply when he eased down onto the couch, he wasn’t prepared for the pain that soared through his body, knowing that he was healing at an almost human rate. 

“I’m sorry, Mrs. McCall. I know I should have stayed up there in bed, but I didn’t want to be alone or away from the Pack. No matter how weak that may sound. I could hear everybody from upstairs, not only does my wolf want to be closer. So do I.”, explained Derek with honesty lacing his voice as he looked up at the woman from on the couch. 

“Sweetie, we could have come up to you instead of you trying to hop your way down here. Deaton is going to kill us all if he knows you were moving around like that with your body still healing.”, explained Melissa as he wrapped the blanket around the wolf, ignoring his protests at being “Babied”. Stiles placed a kiss on his boyfriend’s head in order to distract him long enough for the woman to get the blanket wrapped around him. 

“Derek was never one for being babied or pampered. He’s the type that likes to pamper and spoil somebody. Don’t give me that look, Sourwolf.”, explained Stiles with a teasing smile as he sat down beside him, pulling the older teen’s legs into his lap, concern filling his eyes when he saw the wolf wince. 

“I’m okay. I’m fine.”, said Derek as he tried to get the concern out of the teen’s eyes even though said teen could see right through his lie. 

“You’ve got a few minutes to prepare before the entire Pack comes barging in here.”, called out John from the kitchen where he was watching the Pack outside from the window. 

“Keep them outside until I can at least get Derek’s vitals and check his wounds.”, ordered Melissa as she walked into the kitchen to retrieve her medical bag before walking back into the living room. 

“’M fine, Mrs. McCall.”, muttered out the wolf as he tucked himself down into his boyfriend’s side, who wrapped an arm around his shoulders to give him a sense of comfort and protection. 

“You don’t have to call me that; you know you can call me Melissa. I’ve lived with teenage boys my entire life, I can tell when one is lying.”, said the woman as she opened her bag and knelt down beside the couch. Derek muttered something into Stile’s arm that neither of them understood, but he allowed the woman to listen to his heart and check the bruises that were scattered around his body. 

“Tilt your head so I can see the injury of your concussion.”, coaxed Melissa as she got him to tilt his head so she could examine the bandage covering the wound. 

“How’s he look, Melissa?”, asked John as he walked into the living room, concern filling his eyes as he looked the wolf over. 

“His heart rate is a little fast, and it occasionally skips a few, but that is more than likely from nerves. The bandage on his head is holding tight, Deaton will have to remove it the next time he sees him. That’s all I’m going to do for now, I know from experience not to push somebody who went through that.”, explained Melissa as she tucked the blanket around his body again. 

“Incoming!”, called out Peter from outside, and that was all the warning they got before the rest of the Pack came bolting into the house from the backyard. John and Melissa quickly moved out of the way in order to avoid being trampled by the rest of the Pack as they ran into the living room, taking up positions all around the couch. Isaac, Scott, and Allison were seated on the floor in front of the couch, with Lydia and Jackson taking up the loveseat that they pulled forward, leaving Erika and Boyd on the chair which was also pulled forward. 

“A little bit of a better warning would have been nice. We almost jumped through the roof.”, called out Stiles to Peter, who walked into the living room with a glass of water in his hands. 

“That was all I could manage before they ran in here. Small sips.”, explained the oldest wolf as he handed the glass off to his nephew. 

“It’s fine. Honestly. Having the Pack around helps, it keeps my wolf from surging up.”, explained Derek as he took a small sip of the water, holding back a wince when it slid down his sensitive throat. Isaac rose from the floor a bit and nuzzled the older wolf’s shoulder with his head, the sound of a purr leaving his lips. The blue eyed Beta momentarily tensed when he was touched but it was only for a few seconds, he lowered down and nuzzled against the side of the Beta’s neck, giving a tiny nip to the back of his jaw. 

“How are you feeling, Derek?”, asked Scott with concern showing in his eyes and voice for his second in command Beta. 

“Very sore, sleep is nonexistent. I can see everything all over again when I close my eyes, hear everything again. It brings too much back at once. But I’ll be fine once my body heals.”, explained Derek, clamping his mouth shut when he realized that he had said a bit too much. 

“Has your body started to heal?”, asked Lydia with a look in her eyes that shown that she would start research on how to jump-start the healing process. 

“I have started to heal, slowly, but I’m healing. I can feel it racing through every fiber of my body, it’s pretty strong in my leg, but with the cast on I can’t move it much.”, explained Derek as he gave an annoyed look towards the cast, looking as if he wanted to explode it with his mind. 

“I’ll decorate it for you, we all will.”, said the strawberry blonde girl as she started to look through her purse for anything to write with. 

“Pimp my cast.”, joked Erika as she got off of Boyd’s lap to walk over to the Beta, leaning down to wrap her arms around his neck and rest her chin on his shoulder. Everybody in the room could see the wolf under her visibly tense, his heart rate sky rocketing in fear, his claws slowly sliding out from his fingertips. 

“Erika, move slowly. Stay close enough that he can feel that you’re there, but no fast movements. He will strike out.”, explained Melissa as she held her hands up as she moved closer to the two werewolves. The blonde wolf took her arms off of the older Beta very slowly, but stayed behind him so he could feel that she was there. 

“It’s okay, Der. You’re alright. It’s just Erika. She’s not going to hurt you, listen to her heart beat.”, coaxed Stiles as he gave the wolf’s hands a gentle squeeze with his own, watching as the claws slid away. 

“I’m so sorry, Erika.”, said Derek as he looked over his shoulder and up at her, his eyes wide at the fact that he had almost struck out at her. Erika said nothing in return, she just bent down and placed a gentle but lasting kiss on his forehead.


	9. Chapter 9

“Derek, you're not supposed to be up on your leg. Are we going to have to duct tape you to a chair or something?”, asked John as he walked into the kitchen, to see Derek up on his feet with his arms covered in suds from the sink. 

“I can't stay sitting down, especially when the Pack is outback training. I'd be out there if it weren't for the cast and the concussion, and the fact that Stiles is now watching me like a hawk.”, replied Derek as he returned his arms to the sink as he scrubbed up a few of the plates from breakfast. 

“Now you get to experience what it's like to have a flailing teenager attached at your side 24/7. I wish you luck.”, joked the older man as he carried over a few of the dishes from the table and placed them on the counter beside the sink. The wolf cracked a rare smile at him and flicked some of the soapy bubbles at the older man, watching as they stuck to his shirt and his neck. 

“I swear you are nothing but a puppy stuck in a 23 year olds body. Stiles was right about you.”, teased John as he brushed the suds off of his shirt and neck, flinging them back at the wolf who was grinning at him. 

“Stiles is always right, according to himself.”, teased Derek as he started to rinse off some of the dishes that he had just washed, laying them all on the drying rack. 

“How are you feeling today? It looks like you have some of your energy back.”, asked John as he walked over and sat down at the table, gesturing for the younger man to do the same. 

“I am finally get my energy back now that my body is healing. Scott went to Deaton early this morning and picked up high dosage pain killers and gave them to Stiles, who has me taking one every few hours, even if I don't need one. I have both of them and Isaac practically attached to my hip, I knew I felt two extra bodies in bed last night.”, explained Derek as he pulled out a chair and sat down across from the man, giving him a look when he kicked a chair towards him for his leg to be propped up on. 

“I'm guessing that's a wolf thing, Stiles always talks about Puppy Piles that you do here. Did you at least sleep a few hours?”, asked the older man with concern in his voice as he took in the sight of the dark circles around the wolf's green eyes. 

“I wish I would have, John. Even with the pain killers in my system, and having Pack close by, it's still not easy to fall asleep. I can't seem to bring myself off of high alert. It's like I'm expecting them to walk through the door or something, that this is just a dream and I'm still in that basement.”, the wolf explained honestly, his nail tracing a few scratches in the table from when Jackson and Boyd got into an argument a few months ago. John held up his own hand and looked at the wolf with seriousness in his eyes, as he counted off his fingers one at a time. 

“One. Two. Three. Four. Five. This is not a dream, Derek. You're back home and you are safe.”, explained the older man as he locked eyes with the younger man, to make sure he understood just how serious he was about it. 

“I haven't been able to wrap my head around it yet. But I am working on it.”, promised the wolf as he nodded at the older of the two, his eyes sincere. 

“I know this might be a bit early for you Derek, and for that I apologize. But do you think you're able to answer a few questions?”, asked John as he folded his hands together on the table. 

“I'll try to answer any questions that I can.”, replied Derek as he nodded at him, knowing that sooner or later this would happen. 

“You let me know if you need a break and we'll stop. I am going to use my phone to record the conversation so we have it on record for the investigation. Are you ready to start?”, asked John as he placed his phone on the table, hitting a few buttons to start the recording process. 

“I'm ready. You can ask any questions that you need to.”, replied the wolf as he forced his heart rate to keep slow and steady, in hopes of not startling any of the Pack members who were outside. 

“Do you remember how old you were and what you were doing the day you were taken in the past?”, asked John as he leveled his eyes with the wolf's. 

“I was 8 years old and I was out shopping with my Mother, Talia, that day. It was Peter's birthday and we wanted to surprise him with a handmade cake, so we had to go out and go shopping for the ingredients that we didn't have at home.”, explained Derek as he relaxed his body back into the chair. 

“Was Talia with you when you were taken?”, asked the older man as he unfolded and refolded his hands in front of himself. 

“No, she was still walking to the store down the sidewalk, three stores from where I was. Like a typical 8 year old child, I wandered a bit when something caught my eye. There was a tiny wolf plushy on the ground and I wanted to pick it up to show it to Talia to see if she could return it to who had it. That's when the man showed up.”, explained Derek as his green eyes darkened a little at the memory. 

“Do you remember what the man did when he came across you?”, asked the older man as he kept his tone steady, to keep the wolf calm. 

“He asked me if my Mom knew that I had wandered off, and picked me up, telling me he would help me find her. He kept praising me, calling me a 'pretty little boy'. I should have known something was wrong when he started to walk in the other direction, even after I told him my Mom went the other way. He threatened to kill me if I made a sound, and threatened to have The Coven kill my family if I made any noise at all. Um. When we reached his van, he handcuffed me to the inside of the door to keep me in place. I tried to pull my hand out of the cuff but that only made it tighter. He sedated me after that, so the car ride is all a blank memory.”, explained Derek as his hands clenched into fists in his lap. 

“What do you remember after the car ride? Do you remember where he took you?”, asked John as his eyes widened a small fraction. 

“He moved us around a lot. From the van to a small shack not far from here, and then to an older house. We were all kept in the basement or in separate rooms.”, explained the wolf as his body grew a bit tense. 

“Wait. We? There was more than just you?”, asked John in shock and slight confusion. 

“There were at least 10 of us in that one house, but they continued to talk about bringing in others.”, explained Derek as he locked his eyes on his hands. 

“Do you remember how old they all were?”, asked the Sheriff as he reached over and coaxed the younger man to look up from his hands. 

“As young as age 6 to age 13, I think. There were too many of us to really get the age right.”, replied Derek as he looked up from his hands to look at the older man, his eyes were a bit glazed over. 

“Do you need to take a break, Derek?”, asked John as he heard the rest of the Pack come walking in through the back door, the sound of their panting filling the house. 

“No, thank you. I'm okay. I just. I really need you to continue, before I lose my nerve.”, explained Derek lowly, looking up at his boyfriend when he felt his hands come down on his shoulders from behind. John looked from Pack member to Pack member, signaling for them to remain quiet and not interfere. 

“If you need a break then you need to tell me, but I'll continue. Do you remember what they had you do?”, asked John as the rest of the Pack took up positions around the kitchen, with Stiles sitting beside the wolf in question, interlacing their fingers. 

“It started out as just getting us all settled into the house, making sure we knew that we couldn't get out if we tried. There were bars on the windows and the doors also locked from the outside. We all were usually cuffed to something to keep us in one spot or position. It started off with just pictures, some half dressed and the rest completely naked. Then they moved us all into pictures where we were – we were engaging in sexual actions. Sometimes oral on an older 'client', or being bottom to an older 'client'. We were tossed around from 'client' to 'client', we never really knew what was coming next. If we did something wrong or not to their liking, we were punished afterward.”, explained Derek as he started to play with Stiles' fingers that were in his lap, tracing gentle patterns into his palm. 

“I have to ask this, can you describe the punishments?”, asked John as he could literally feel the tension in the room rising, seeing that Derek could feel it as well, his body starting to shake in the slightest bit. 

“It would all depend on how bad you were. Some of us just got spanked or locked in a room in the dark for a few hours. Some of us got locked in a dark room for days without food, water, or any interaction. Others of us got the cage in the corner.”, explained the wolf as his voice broke at the thought of the cage, his body starting to shake a bit more. 

“Can you explain the cage a little more?”, asked John as his eyes filled with concern when he saw the wolf's leg on the floor start to bounce as his nerves grew higher. 

“It was kind of like a dog crate, a large one. It was placed either in the basement or the garage near the house. If you were locked inside, you were put in the dark without food, water, or anything to keep you warm. You were denied everything.”, explained Derek as he once again returned his gaze to the hands in his lap, quickly releasing them when he noticed that his nails had turned to claws. 

“You're safe, baby. You're safe. I think you need to take a break. I can feel your heart racing and you're shaking.”, explained Stiles as he placed a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek, hoping that in some way it would calm him down. 

“I'll be fine, Sti'. If I stop, I don't think I'll be able to start again. Please continue, John.”, said the blue eyed Beta as he nodded towards the older man and quickly wiped his eyes so the tears wouldn't fall. 

“If you saw these men again, would you be able to recognize them? Possibly in a line up? Do you remember any names of the other kids that were there with you?”, asked John as he took a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath, his anger was rising at what had happened to the wolf, but he didn't want to let it show in case it startled him. 

“I could recognize them anywhere. If I had to, I could draw their faces for you. I'm not going to forget them. There was one girl in particular, who stayed by my side the entire time. She tried to protect me the best that she could, she was one of the few girls that were there. She was 13 at the time, and was 13 when she managed to escape. She promised she would come back for me when she got out and found help, but she never came back. Ali got free and never came back.”, explained Derek as he wiped his eyes again, he was determined not to cry in front of the Pack, no matter how hard it took. Before Derek had the chance to rise from his chair, both Isaac and Scott came up behind him and wrapped themselves around him, both of them nuzzling into the sides of his neck. John reached over and stopped the recording, knowing that the wolf needed to take a break from it now, and he would take one whether he liked it or not.


	10. Chapter 10

“Stiles. Out. Scott, you, too. I can shower on my own, I’m capable of that. Isaac, don’t give me that look. If I keep the bathroom door cracked open, will you three please just go downstairs? I’ll send John and Melissa after you three, don’t think I won’t.” warned Derek as he tried to herd the three teens out of the bathroom. Stiles bit his bottom lip as he leveled his gaze with the older teen, all three of them looking more than ready to stay in the bathroom. 

“The door stays cracked open and you holler if you need one of us. Don’t take the plastic off of your leg, it needs to stay secure enough to cover your cast. If that comes off all adults, including Deaton, will kill us.” ordered Stiles as all three of them stood in the doorway, their eyes locked on the blue eyed Beta. Derek tucked a towel under his arm again as he ushered the three of them out of the bathroom and kept the door cracked open. He set the towel down on the counter as his eyes landed on the floor by the door where he could still see the shadows of three different sets of feet. 

“Go downstairs. Now.” said Derek as he flipped the knob on the shower being rewarded with the sound of the water hitting the shower floor, heat already seeming to fill the bathroom from the water itself. A small grin formed on his lips when he heard the muffled complaints from the teens outside the door before their footsteps were heard walking down the hall and then down the stairs. He reached behind himself and pulled his dark Henley up over his shoulders and over his head, tossing it into the hamper by the counter. His bright green eyes landed on the broken mirror the second the shirt was off of him, taking only a few seconds to remember that he had brought the shard of glass he saved in with him, safely tucked inside of the towel. He reached inside the one fold and slid the piece of glass out, sliding his thumb over the jagged edge slowly. Not hard enough to break skin or draw blood, only hard enough to feel the familiar tug of the edge against the pad of his thumb. He reached into the shower and placed the shard of glass on the edge of the tub, intended to use later once the curtain was pulled. The loose sweatpants around his hips and legs fell with ease to the floor, soon joining the Henley in the bottom of the hamper. 

Derek avoided looking in the remains of the glass that were on the mirror as he finished undressing, keeping his eyes closed and gaze averted as he stepped under the steaming water, enjoying the slight burn the water gave his skin before his wolf rose up and took the pain away. His eyes fluttered a bit as he tilted his head back and allowed the water to drop down over his face and run down in streaks over his neck. No matter how hot he could ever make the water he never felt as if he were clean, still remembering the feeling of those hands on his body, their panting breaths on the back of his neck, their voices in his ears. He ran his fingers through his black hair to serve as a distraction to his mind, working nonscented shampoo through, shivers wracking his body as the droplets of soap trickled down his shoulders and back. The heat in the water only seemed to increase as the water falling now ran clear, no traces of soap left behind on his skin or on the floor. He shut his eyes tightly against the raging voice in his head, one that never seemed to want to quiet itself. You deserved it! You’re nothing but a slut! You’re filthy! Worthless! Nobody is going to want you now! You’re damaged goods! 

His eyes snapped open, now blazing a bright blue, his lungs seeming to constrict and refuse to take in much air as those voices continued to rage in his mind. He forced his lungs to expand and take in air as he lowered himself down into a sitting position on the floor in the shower, the water a continuous spray around him. Derek had to slow his heart down where it was racing in his chest; the minute it would spike is the minute one of the wolves would race up the stairs. He reached out with a shaking hand, sliding it across the lining of the tub, his hand closing down around the shard of glass, feeling the all too familiar tug of it against the skin on his palm. A soft groan left his lips as he tried to take in another breath, his vision starting to get dark enough the edges as his body seemed to feel as if it were in a sauna. He pressed the cool glass down against his bare thigh and felt his muscles involuntarily tense, before he added a hint of pressure down, feeling his skin pull taunt under the edge of the glass. It took only a little more pressure for the glass to seek purchase in his skin, slicing a clean straight line across his thigh, crimson beads welling up in place of the cut. Derek slowed his healing process down in order to feel the throbbing pain for a few seconds more, letting the blood form trails down over his thigh. Just one. Just one. 

 

TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW 

 

“Derek, get off your foot. Go. Scoot. Sit down. No, no buts. Go. Scott, get your Beta, I’d hate to have to hit him with The Spoon.” ordered Melissa as she snapped a white dish towel at the taller Beta, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle as he hopped backwards away from the towel, his casted leg raised a bit. Scott walked around to the back of the blue eyed Beta and wrapped his arms around his waist, hefting him up off of the floor, before picking him up bridal style. 

“Put. Me. Down.”, ground out Derek as he squirmed a bit in his Alpha’s hold, his body tensing and eyes widening when he felt the grip tighten a fraction. He relaxed a little when he felt the smaller teen nuzzling against the back of his neck, a content sound leaving the Alpha’s throat. Scott carried him into the living room, despite the growled protests, before gently setting him down on the couch, his leg covered cast resting on Stiles’ lap. The teen chuckled under his breath as he looked from Scott, to Derek, and then back to Scott. 

“What did he do?” asked Stiles as he rested a hand lightly down on the cast that was in his lap, brushing his thumb over the top tips of the wolf’s toes, earning him a low growl that had no heat. Scott snickered as he sat down on the floor at the other end of the couch, closest to his Beta. 

“Derek was up on his leg and offered to help Mom in the kitchen, she hit him with a towel and threatened him with The Spoon.” explained the Alpha as he lightly tapped the blue eyed Beta on the arm, earning him a swat at the head in retaliation. 

“Dude, she threatened him with The Spoon? The Spoon? You’re lucky Scott got you out of there in time.” teased Stiles as he once again traced his thumb over the tips of the wolf’s bare toes, earning him another growl. 

“Do I even want to know what The Spoon means? And keep that up and I’ll put my cast in your crotch.” warned Derek with narrowed eyes and a grin on his lips as he looked from teen to teen. Neither of them had a chance to respond before the Sheriff was walking through the front door, keys in one hand and a file in the other. The look in his eyes automatically had Derek in high alert, his spine going rigid as his eyes narrowed a fraction more. 

“I don’t like that look Sheriff, or the way Derek reacted to it. What’s going on?” asked Isaac as he walked down the stairs and into the living room, his eyes moving from Derek to the Sheriff. His eyes narrowed in confusion and concern as the older man tossed the file down onto the coffee table by the couch and slid it towards the blue eyed Beta without a word. Derek’s green eyes landed on the file and he bent himself forwards, closing his hand down around the corner of the file as he pulled it off the table and into his lap. His eyebrow raised in question as John nodded at him in permission, watching as the wolf flipped the file open, his eyes flickering to an unnatural blue a few times. His lips drew back in a hint of a snarl, the muscles in his neck tensing as the sound grew. 

“We may have found a lead, Derek, the DNA that Deaton collected came through. We just need conformation from you to get this case underway, we need you to work this with us.” explained John as he looked from Derek to the file, and then back to him. The wolf thumbed through the pictures that were placed in the file, before flipping page by page of the information, his eyes moving rapidly fast over each word. He flipped to the third from last set of information and tore the page free, green eyes seeming to glaze and cloud over as he read through the location information on the page. Derek set the page down and thumbed through the pictures once more, tearing the middle picture free from the tiny fold, setting it with the information. He put the two different papers together and slid them towards John without a second word, his hand shaking against them as he slid them towards the man. 

“Are you positive, Derek? I need you to be completely positive on your choice.” asked John as he pared the paged together with a fold in the corner, leveling his gaze with the wolf, who seemed to be looking anywhere but at one of them. 

“That guy, he’s, he’s not the main guy. He’s like an enforcer; he does the physical work, moving everybody from location to location. The information you gave in that file is only one of the locations, I recognized the name. You won’t get anything from there, a few pages after that one it was put in record that house was set for demolition a few years ago. It’s gone.” explained Derek with a hint of regret in his voice, almost as if he were wishing he could have found something before this all happened again. 

“Do you remember anything about him? Anything specific? Any tattoos, birthmarks, scars?” asked John as he tucked the file under his arm and slid what looked like a sketch pad over to the wolf, who’s head snapped up to level his gaze with the man, before he quickly slid the pad into his lap and flipped to the first page. 

“I remember his tattoo, it started below the dip of his collarbones and branched out towards the upper curve of his arm. The main part is a pentagram, with a set of demonic wings branching out mainly from the top, with links that come in towards the middle corners. It was mainly all black with red trim around the pentagram.” explained Derek as his hand moved across the paper, keeping it tilted in his lap, resting on his knee, as he added in the different details of the tattoo. He smudged out any tiny mistakes before sliding the pad back to the Sheriff, who raised an eyebrow at him in question, clarity was everything now. 

“Find that tattoo and you’ll find him.” explained Derek with a hint of firmness in his voice, spoken with more conviction than he has ever had since he had been found. John gave the blue eyed Beta a firm nod before he tucked the pad with the file, reaching over to give the wolf’s knee a squeeze. 

“If you remember anything else about this man, or about the ‘main man’, you come straight to me or straight to either Stiles or Jordan. We might have a few more photos for you to look through, but that can be saved for another day after you’ve had a solid night’s sleep.” ordered John as he looked from all three wolves, to his son, and then back to the Beta. He raised his eyebrow at the four of them, before turning back to face Derek, a questioning look in his eyes. 

“I know that look, and yes, they’ll probably all be in my bed again tonight. I really don’t mind it, the contact helps more than I thought it would.” replied the green eyed teen as he nudged Stiles with his cast covered leg, feeling Isaac nuzzling into the side of his neck, letting out a soft purring sound in return. Scott rested his head back again the wolf’s good leg, who squeezed his shoulder in return to the silent touch.


	11. Chapter 11

“Haven't you ever thought about it, Derek? What it's like outside these walls when we're not dealing with the others?” asked Ali as she brushed her light blonde hair over her shoulders and rolled over on her mattress to face him.

“I've thought about it, more than once. I've thought of just walking outside to get a breath of real air, but the cage is what I'd get. What do you miss the most?” asked the wolf as he rolled over to face the older girl, his eyebrows raised high in question.

“The warmth of the sun when you walk out of a cold house, or when a ray hits you outside on a breezy day. I just wish we could go out and run around, I know there's got to be a park around here somewhere. If we wouldn't keep moving.” she ground out irritably, hitting her fist off of the mattress, sending up a tiny smoke of dust.

“They're moving us again tomorrow morning, before the sun gets up. We can try and look for a park once they move us.” bargained Derek as he sat up a bit, trying not to wake up any of the other kids.

“The newest boy and the favorite girl trying to make a break for it? Not likely to happen without getting us both killed. There's beginning to be too many of us to keep track of, they're starting to get clumsy when moving us. You may be smaller and more quiet, even sneakier than I am, but I’m faster and stronger. I can get out and get help, come back for you and the others.” she explained in a hushes voice as she sat up completely.

“You can't leave us all back here with them. You can't leave us. You can't leave me. You promised!” he hissed out in panic and in fear, bolting upright into a sitting position, his eyes narrowing in a clear warning.

“I will be back, Derek. Trust me on this. I gave you my word and I will keep it to the best of my ability. I will be back. You have to cover for me, make up any lie that you can think of that will stick and make sense. Tell them I'm contagious, that anybody who is in this room could possibly be sick as well. I promise you, I will be back. I will find you. We'll find each other.” explained Ali as she leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, her words drifting in the air around them.

 

Derek's eyes darted open, blazing a bright blue instead of their natural green, his chest rising and falling rapidly with his labored breathing. His eyes moved around the room quickly, wall to wall before landing on each member in his bed: Stiles, Scott, and Isaac. He rested his head back down momentarily, before he started to silently and gently untangle himself from the three teens. The wolf slid off the bed and rose to his feet, keeping most of his weight on his good leg, not wanting to feel the bones in his broken leg shifting as they continued to heal. Derek knelt down on the floor by the open door of his closet and slid things around until his hand landed on one of his own drawing tablets, rising back up onto his feet with the tablet in hand. I plan on keeping one promise, we will find each other. One way or another.

With one final look back at the trio sleeping peacefully in his bed, the wolf made his way down the hall to the stairs. His cast making soft thumping noises as he made his way down them, his free hand gripping the railing to keep himself up and to keep himself from falling. When he reached the bottom of the stairs his green eyes quickly scanned the living room as his ears tuned in to pick up on any sounds in the house. I'm surprised everybody is still asleep, then again, the sun hasn't rose yet. Derek walked into the kitchen and tossed the tablet onto the table, before he walked back into the living room and knelt down in front of the couch, reaching up to gently rub Melissa's arm to wake her.

“Derek? What're you doing down here? You're supposed to be in bed with the others.” asked Melissa as she rubbed at her eyes and slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position, moving off of John's side, being careful not to wake him. 

“You and John take the only unoccupied guest room, third door on the left down the hall. You and John will never survive a night on this old couch. Go on upstairs, Melissa. Come on. On your feet.” urged Derek as he rose to his feet and held out his hand for the woman. Melissa rubbed at her eyes before she took his hand and rose to her feet, giving John’s shoulder a shake to wake him up. 

“Come on, old man, we get the guest bedroom.” teased Melissa as she held out her hand for John, who rose to his feet with a tired smile and glazed eyes. 

“You’re supposed to be in bed, Derek. Are you in pain? Flashbacks?” asked the Sheriff quickly when he noticed that the wolf’s eyes were continuously flickering from green to icy blue, his worry growing by the second. 

“Don’t worry about me, John. You need your rest, go on upstairs with Melissa. I’ll be fine. I’ll have another drawing for you in the morning. Go on up.” explained Derek as he guided both of the adults towards the stairs with gentle hands on their backs. He watched from the bottom of the stairs as the pair made their way up the stairs and turned to go down the hall, before he walked over to the couch and got himself comfortable, resting the drawing tablet on his thighs and knees. He reached down and moved things around on the small coffee table before his hand closed down around the abandoned pencil, quickly flipping to a clean page while Ali’s image was still fresh and unfaded in his mind. He closed his eyes for a brief minute before he started to draw her jagged cheekbones and the subtle curves of her jaw, the wisps of her hair and the sparkle in her eyes, the slight uptick of her lips and the one dimple she had when she smiled. He started shading in the shadows of her neck and the dips of her collarbones, the slight shadows under her eyes and the darker streaks in her hair. The small dip in her chin and the small pout that she always held in her lips. A smile formed on Derek’s lips as he started to smudge out the small mistakes and blend the shadows together to fully fit the picture. 

 

TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW 

 

It was Allison who woke first, making her way downstairs in a pair of shorts and a loosely fitting tank top, obvious that she had slept in them last night. Her hair was mused and falling in loose strands everywhere around her shoulders and neck, she carelessly brushed it away as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Her dark brown eyes scanned the living room before they locked onto Derek, who was curled up asleep on the couch with the tablet abandoned on the coffee table. She walked over and knelt down in front of him, giving his shoulder a soft rub to start to wake him up. 

“Rise and shine, Der. You really shouldn't have slept on the couch last night, your back is going to be in knots from it. What time did you end up finally falling asleep?” asked Allison once she realized that the wolf had started to wake up, his green eyes fluttering a bit as he woke up. 

“I'm not really sure what time, I woke up real early this morning after a flashback and I just started to draw. I knew John would need the picture if they wanted to get anywhere with the case, so I figured I would just draw out Ali. You actually remind me of her. A lot.” explained Derek as he sat up on the couch and crossed his legs in front of himself, tapping the spot beside him for the girl to sit down. 

“She looks a bit like me, too. We have almost the same features. Is this how you remember her?” asked the Hunter as she picked up the tablet and carefully traced the features of the girl's face with her fingertips. A soft smile formed on the wolf's lips as he nodded at her, watching her fingers as they traced. 

“That's how I remember her, that's the way she looked when I last saw her. Dimples and all.” replied Derek as he covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a yawn, earning him a giggle from the girl beside him. 

“Come on, sleepy-wolf. Let's make breakfast before everybody starts to wake up. Well, I'll make breakfast, you get to cut up the fruit while staying off of your cast. No, no glaring, either. That cast will come off eventually, just give it time.” coaxed Allison as he rose to her feet, taking the wolf with her. They made their way to the kitchen, wordlessly grabbing what items they needed and placing everything down onto the counters, before Derek nudged the girl towards the radio that was plugged into the wall. 

“The chef gets to pick the music, and today the chef is you.” explained Derek as he watched her stroll through the stations, stopping when the song “Sway” by Michael Buble started to play from the speakers, both sets of eyes lighting up as they said “I love this song!”, “No way!”, “Me, too!”. 

“Go choose the fruit and get to work, assistant.” teased Allison as she nudged him towards the fridge, watching with a soft laugh as his hips swayed with the music, despite the cast weighing him down a bit. Derek slid out some strawberries and bananas, followed by raspberries and blueberries, setting everything down onto the island, before he slid up a bar stool and chose a small knife to start slicing the fruit. 

“What do you plan on making, Chef Allison?” joked Derek as he started to slice the strawberries down, placing them in one of the bowls that the girl slid over to him. 

“You will just have to wait and find out, now won't you? That's totally not fair, this is a distraction!” exclaimed Allison with wide eyes as she felt the wolf gently turn her around to face him, swaying her to the rhythm of the music in the background. Her hair spun around with her when he gave her a gentle twirl, before their hips swayed with the music, laughs spilling from their lips. Both of them glad that the other could finally be so relaxed in the presence of the other. 

“A distraction that is worth it, I haven't heard this song in years. Haven't danced since I was in New York, nobody has had much rhythm yet.” explained the wolf as he drew Allison close before lowering her down into a dip, bring her back up on a curve. 

“When you're healed, completely, you're teaching Scott. Understood?” asked Allison as she brushed hair over her shoulder again and out of her face, twirling once more before she turned to face the stove again, leaving the chuckling wolf behind her. 

“Yes, Ma'am.” chuckled out Derek as he sat back down at the island and continued to slice the fruit down, a full smile present on his lips, a glint in his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

“Move over.” 

“Quit elbowing me, you're right handed, try eating with that hand.” 

“Dude, you have to share.” 

“Erika, don't poke me with your fork.” 

“Allison, Lydia, don't hog the juice.” 

Derek stood in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning back against the wall, as he watched the Pack bicker and fight their way through breakfast, everybody having their own commentary to add in with the others. He flashed a soft and small smile when both Melissa and John walked to the doorway of the kitchen, his arms crossed over his chest and her hands on her hips. A giggle left the woman's lips when she saw Erika stab her fork in Jackson's direction when he went after her bacon. 

“There's enough left on the counter for the two of you if you don't want to fight off the masses.” explained Derek as he gestured towards the counter, where a good portion of the food was laid out for them, still hot from just being made, steam rising from the plate in gray wisps. 

“Did you fight off the masses yet?” asked John as he rubbed at the back of his neck, looking in the wolf's direction with raised eyebrows. 

“I'm not crazy enough to step between a bunch of teenagers and food.” replied to blue eyed Beta as his eyes moved from Pack member to Pack member, hints of amusement and pride in his eyes. 

“I'm going to be sending John, here, in to grab ours. He can fend off the others.” explained Melissa with a smile as she placed her hands on the older man's shoulders, nudging him into the kitchen. Derek chuckled lightly under his breath and allowed the woman to guide him back into the living room, where they both took a seat on the couch, pulling their feet up underneath themselves. 

“Hopefully the guest bed was comfier than the couch?” asked the wolf with a knowing smile on his lips, half a smile and half a smirk, hints of a teasing manner in his eyes. 

“Hush, you. But yes, the bed was way better than the couch. You saved both John and I a painful day. Did you at least get some sleep last night? You and Allison seemed to be up pretty early this morning.” asked the older woman as she rested her head against her hand, reaching out to pat his knee with her other hand. 

“I slept pretty well last night, I woke up in the middle of the night and drew out a picture of Ali, actually ended up falling asleep on the couch. That's where Allison found me, so we both decided to make breakfast for the Pack and actually had a lot of fun together in the kitchen. I made a promise to her, that once I'm completely healed, I'll teach him to dance. Fingers crossed that he has some sense of rhythm.” explained Derek as he shifted his position to lessen the weight on his cast. 

“Once this thing comes off of your leg, I will help you in teaching Scott how to dance. I tried to teach him how to dance when it came to his homecoming last year, but that was a disaster. When did you learn to dance?” asked Melissa as she took the plate that was offered by the Sheriff, the two of them sliding down the couch in order to make room for the man. 

“I started out young with Laura, her and my Mother convinced me to join the classes that she took after school. Dance came first, drawing after, track after that. I started dance in middle school, small ballet lessons and incorporating some classical and jazz, modern and lyrical. Then moved up to hip-hop and break. I started young and continued to dance all through middle and high school, I kind of lost the passion after the fire, I couldn't even get myself to dance in New York. When I found out about Laura, I stopped completely. I couldn't even listen to the music that her and I danced to, it brought back way too much to handle at the time. To be honest, I miss it. The physical demand, the mental challenge. All tied to one body and one mind.” explained the wolf, hints of longing in his voice as he let himself drift a bit to the memories of dancing alongside his older sister. 

“How about when that cast comes off, and you're able to walk with full stability, you and Scott and I will go to one of the nearest studios in Beacon Hills and we'll join the class. It'll give you the chance to start dancing again and to teach Scott, as well as keeping your mind off of everything else that's going on.” suggested Melissa as she held out a strip of bacon to the wolf, who accepted it with a warm smile. 

“You got yourself a deal. Maybe I'll even see if I can convince Stiles to join in, I know you'll work your magic on John here.” replied Derek around a mouthful of the savory bacon, watching as the older woman turned and gave John a devilish smirk, and oh did he know that look. 

 

TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW 

 

"John? We have some past records and ownership titles of the one location that Derek had picked out from the pictures. We're having him brought in to be put in a line up, we'll do a blind voice line up. If he has ties to the house, he probably has ties to what happened to Derek and all the others." 

"I'll let Derek know, keep up the work, Parrish. We're going to need more than one person in order to completely build this case up from the ground. Run the DNA that was collected with the forensics team, give me a call when the results come back. This guy probably is already in the system." 

"That's just it, Sheriff, we ran the DNA earlier today. The results came in about an hour ago. We only have one match, but he'll be tricky for us to get our hands on. He's a returning convict: Kenny Woods. Escaped convict and overall ringleader of 'The Coven'."


	13. Chapter 13

“Derek, can we have a minute to talk? Privately.” asked John once he was outside on the porch with the Beta, where he was watching Scott try and run the others through some training drills. The wolf turned around and looked up at the older man, his head tilting to the side and his eyes narrowing in confusion. 

“Sure. Do you want to take it inside or go for a walk through the preserve?” asked Derek as he rose up from the porch steps, holding onto the railing as he hobbled a bit. 

“If you feel up to a walk and can find the boot that Deaton sent for you to put over the bottom of the cast, then we'll go for a walk.” replied the Sheriff as he reached out to help steady the wolf, who chuckled once he regained his balance on his own two feet. 

“Give me a few minutes to find it and strap it on, then we'll go.” explained Derek as he walked into the house and held the back door open for the man, who silently followed after him. As the silence stretched on, the wolf grew a bit more anxious as he strapped the black boot onto the bottom of his cast so that he could walk comfortably. He cast a look towards the man before rising to his feet again, following him back to the front door. 

“Am I going to like the conversation we're about to have?” he asked the man as they walked out onto the porch, the old fashioned screen door swinging shut behind them. 

“Depends on whether you take it as good or bad news.” explained John as they walked off the porch, the leaves crunching down under their feet as they walked across the grass. Derek caught Scott's eye and flashed his own to a bright blue, being rewarded by a short nod and flash of red from the younger wolf's eyes. Both Derek and his wolf were more than ready and more than excited to be outside, even if it were only for a walk and not a brisk run. Both of them had waited until they were certain that they were out of ear range from the other wolves before choosing to speak. 

“What is this about, John? You've been silent since we left the house and I know that is never a good sign.” asked the wolf as he continued to walk, turning his head to look at the man, his eyebrows raised high in question. 

“I received a call from Jordan this morning. We have a positive DNA match and have a suspect in custody. All we need is for you to identify him in a blind voice line up. Does the name Kenny Woods mean anything to you?” asked the Sheriff as they weaved their way through the trees around them. Derek's steps froze in place when the name slipped off the Sheriff's tongue, his eyes glazing over a bit at the mention of the name. 

“He's the man you have in custody?” asked Derek as he turned to fully face the man, his hands now jammed down into his jeans pockets. 

“The deputies brought him in this morning once the DNA results came back. He wasn't an easy man to find. We had to dig our way through all the walls of The Coven in order to find him, he had many ways of hiding and was registered under different identities.” explained John as he stopped and matched the wolf's stance. 

“What exactly do you need from me to get him locked in a holding cell for a while? Besides what you already have.” asked Derek as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, before leaning onto his good leg. 

“At the moment we already have your statements and a slight description, all that we'll need is a positive match with a line up. It will only be a blind voice line up, you won't see them and they won't see you. You will only be able to hear their voices. Do you think you're able to do something like that? Are you prepared to do something like that?” asked the older man as he leveled his gaze with the blue eyed Beta, their eyes locking together. A moment of silence fell between the two, the only sounds being heard were that of their even breathing and squirrels skittering around in the branches on the trees. 

“Prepared? No. Able to? Yes. I will do whatever it takes to get every single one of them locked away for live. If something else like this happens to any other children, while I knew that I could do something to come between it, but didn't, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. When can you make the arrangements for?” asked the Beta as they continued their walk, having now reached a point where they could turn around and head back to the Hale House. 

“I'll get in touch with Parrish as soon as we get back to the house and we'll make the arrangements, if we're lucky enough we can have you come in for the line up today. This line up is going to be the basis of building this case, besides the DNA and the sketches that we currently have.” explained John as they weaved their way through the trees that they had just passed moments ago. 

“Will it be enough to hold up in court? A little bit of DNA and a few sketches doesn't really seem like enough. I mean, have you been able to get in contact with any of the other now grown kids who were there in the past? Have you managed to track them down?” asked Derek, firing off question after question to the Sheriff. 

“One question at a time, for the love of all that is holy. To be honest with you here, I'm not going to get your hopes up with it. With the very little evidence that we have in this case, and even with the line up, it may not withstand in court. We're going to need at least two positive identifications with a line up, more evidence on any suspects that we may bring in, reliable sources and statements from any of the other past kids that may have been taken when you were. As well as positive identifications from them as well.” explained the Sheriff as he kicked a rock out of the way, holding back a chuckle when the wolf's attention automatically snapped towards the direction of the sound of the rock sliding through the leaves on the ground. 

“Meaning there is a very high chance of him walking? Of all of them walking out?” ground out Derek, the muscles in his jaw clenching and pulsing noticeably, his teeth grinding slowly in his jaw. John stopped walking and placed a hand on the wolf's chest to get him to stop walking as well, taking in the flickering of blue in the wolf's natural green eyes. 

“Derek. Derek, you need to calm down. Reign your wolf in, it is way too early in your healing for you to shift. Calm down. Breathe, Derek. Slowly. Slow in and slow out. There you go, keep going, just like that.” coaxed the Sheriff as he tapped out his own heartbeat on the wolf's collarbone, giving him something to follow with his breathing. 

“I'm fine. I'm fine.” breathed out the wolf as he sent a reassuring look towards the older man, nodding his head slowly. 

“Come on, let's get you back to the house. If one of the other wolves caught your heartbeat, they're more than likely panicking. And if Scott caught it and told Stiles –.” started out the man, only to be cut off by the wolf. 

“Then he's probably trying to get past the wolves to get to us.” finished Derek as he smirked over at the older man, his eyes shining brightly. 

“Let's just get to him before he gets to us.” ordered John as he nudged the wolf in the shoulder to get him to keep walking, earning him a playful snap of the teeth. 

 

TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW 

 

“Are you sure you're ready to do this, Der? If you're not ready then you don't have to do this.” asked Stiles as both he and Derek, with Scott and Isaac on the Beta's bed, their eyes trained on him as he tried to balance on one leg to wrestle his jeans on over his cast. 

“I'm probably never going to be ready to do this, but I know that I have to. That I need to. I owe that much to Ali and to the others who hadn't managed to break away, to the others who might have lost their lives, and to the ones that might end up in the same position in the future if I don't do this.” explained Derek as he managed to wrestle the jeans on over the cast, before stepping into the other, pulling them up quickly and securing the button, zipper, and his belt. 

“We can always schedule it for a later date, they have the guy in custody and in holding, he won't be getting out anytime soon.” explained Scott as he felt his Beta's anxiety climb at the subject. 

“They can only hold him for a 24 hour period, even with the DNA match. Without the positive line up, he'll be out within a few hours. Even sooner if he calls for a lawyer.” explained Derek as he took the white button up from his boyfriend, shrugging it up onto his shoulders, his hands shaking a bit as he fumbled to get the buttons clasped properly, his hands being batted away by said teen, who started to button the shirt in his place. 

“Since we can't change your mind on this, do you want us to be there with you?” asked Isaac as he rose from the bed and walked over to the older wolf, one of his hands coming up to rub at the older wolf's shoulder, both to comfort and to scent mark. 

“I know that all three of you want to be there, but I need to be able to know that I can do some of this on my own. I know that you support me, and that you do care, and I'm grateful for that, but this is something I need to do on my own. Can you respect that?” explained and asked Derek as he fixed the collar on his shirt before turning a leveled and serious look to the three teens, who slowly but surely nodded their heads at him in agreement. They may not like the idea of Derek doing it on his own, but it was a decision that they would respect and that they would follow.


	14. Chapter 14

“Will you three stop fussing over me, please? I will be fine, I can handle this. I think.” explained Derek as he batted three different sets of hands away from the collar of his shirt once they reached the bottom of the stairs where John and Melissa and Peter were waiting. 

“Are you ready, Derek?” asked John as he stuffed his hands down into the front pockets of his jeans, his eyebrows raised in question and concern at the wolf. 

“I'm ready to just get this over with, John. I'm guessing his attorney is going to be in the room with us as well?” asked the blue eyed Beta as he began to anxiously and nervously play with the bottom hem of his shirt, earning him soft growls from Scott and Isaac, which prompted Stiles into pulling his hand away from the bottom of his shirt. 

“Yes, his attorney will be in the same room with us, but don't let that intimidate you. His attorney can't say anything to you without compromising herself or her client, all she will be able to do is stand there in silence until you make an identification.” explained the Sheriff as he tried to reassure the wolf in whatever manner that he could. 

“And you're positive that they won't be able to see me? I've only ever been on the other side of the reverse-mirror in an interrogation room.” asked Derek as his nerves grew more and more by the second. 

“I promise, Der, they will not be able to see you. They will only be able to see their own reflections. You're doing a blind voice line up, right? At least you won't have to see their faces, you'll only hear their voices.” explained Stiles as he looked towards his Dad for conformation, watching as the man nodded his head in agreement. 

“Stiles is right, all you will hear are their voices.” added in John with a soft voice in hopes of keeping the wolf calm. 

“Let's get this over with before I lose my nerve. Please? I don't want to back down from this.” explained Derek as he made the move to grab the keys to his Comaro, being stopped by Peter who shook his head at him before gesturing to his cast. 

“You can't drive with the plaster on your leg, Derek. Let John drive you there, or I'll take you, Melissa even offered to drive.” explained Peter as he tossed the leather jacket from off the hook to his nephew, who shrugged it on up over his shoulders. 

“No, I'll tell you the same thing I told these three, I need to do this on my own.” explained Derek as he followed the Sheriff to the front door, with the five of them trailing after the pair. 

“You can do this, Derek. I know that you can. Try and keep yourself calm before and during the line up, the rest will be smooth sailing.” reassured Melissa as she reached up to cup the wolf's cheeks, bending his head down to press a kiss to his forehead, her thumbs stroking over his cheekbones. Derek mouthed the words “Thank you” to his Alpha's Mother, before he followed John out of the house and off of the porch, both of them sliding into the cruiser that was parked in the driveway. 

 

TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW TW 

 

“Okay, Derek. There are six men that are going to be in this line up that fit the profile of one of the men that attacked you. Now, you will be able to hear their voices but you will not be able to see them and that works both ways. They won't be able to see you at all. Are you ready?” asked the woman who was leading the line up from where they were standing outside of the room. 

“I'm ready. I can do this.” replied Derek confidently, more to himself than to anybody else in the room. 

“Follow me.” explained the woman as she opened the door and led the wolf and the Sheriff inside the room, where they were greeted by the suspect's attorney, a middle-aged man who looked less than thrilled to be there. 

“Are we going to get this done anytime today, counselor?” asked the man with his voice full of annoyance. 

“Stand down, Mr. Yarrow. You have had time to prepare your client and I have been allotted time to prepare this one.” explained the woman before she leaned forward and pressed a button on a box on the wall, talking into the speaker “Bring in the first line.” Derek shifted his weight anxiously from foot to foot, looking over his shoulder at John, who silently nodded his head at him, before turning his attention back to the line up. 

“Now, Mr. Hale, I'm going to ask you to tell me of something that was frequently said while you were in their vicinity. Something that you could vocally identify.” explained the woman as she and the other attorney turned to face him. 

“'Such a pretty boy' was said more than once when I was younger and even when I was in their vicinity.” replied Derek as he bit down on his bottom lip and crossed his arms over his chest, a nervous habit. 

“Please instruct the men to repeat the words 'Such a pretty boy', starting from left to right.” explained the woman as she spoke into the speaker on the wall once again. 

 

“Such a pretty boy.” 

 

“Such a pretty boy.” 

 

“Such a pretty boy.” 

 

“Such a pretty boy.” 

 

“Such a pretty boy.” 

 

“Such a pretty boy.” 

 

Derek strained his hearing in order to hear the voices of each man, the tone and the pitch, the gravel of their voices, the deepest hints of a dip for any word. He silently shook his head before turning towards the woman who was still with them. 

“Deeper. More from the throat.” explained the wolf as he looked from the woman back to the wall, focusing his attention strictly on what was to come. 

“Please instruct them to repeat the words again but this time deeper, more from the throat.” ordered the woman before she stepped back again to give the wolf room to comfortably do what he needed to. 

 

“Such a pretty boy.” 

 

“Such a pretty boy.” 

 

“Such a pretty boy.” 

 

“Such a pretty boy.” 

 

“Stop. That's the voice, that's him.” ordered Derek with confidence in his voice as he turned his head to look at the woman, who was now looking at him with a smile on her face. 

“Are you positive that is the voice of one of the men who attacked you?” asked the woman as she stepped forward to press a button and signal for the line to be led out of the other room. 

“I'm completely positive. That's the man's voice.” explained the blue eyed Beta as he nodded his head slowly in conformation. 

“We'll see how this holds up in court. The next time you plan on calling my client in, at least make it worth our while instead of just wasting our time.” explained Mr. Yarrow before he turned on his heel and walked from the room, the door swinging shut behind him with a sharp clang. 

“You did very well, Mr. Hale. This identification will help to aid in your case. I will do everything in my power to make sure he's behind bars for more than the minimum set.” explained the woman as she shook the wolf's hand, before she shook the Sheriff's hand and walked from the room, the door softly shutting behind her.


End file.
